ART IN NEW ZEALAND

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 88, 8 January 1926, Page 8

ART IN NEW ZEALAND

LANDSCAPE WORK ADVANCING New Zealand landscape painting, which for long has resisted art influences apparent in other countries, is in process of change (says a Christchurch exchange). An impetus to the stir from within was given by Mr. Sydney Thompson, who returned to Christchurch inspired by the French impressionistic influences. Another artist who studied in France, and afterwards won a place among the painters of New York, Mi. W. E. Chapman, has also returned. As a very young man 34 years ago he was on the teaching staff of the Canterbury College School c-‘ Art. To a reporter, Mr. Chapinan proved a reluctant critic of New Zealand painting, but when at last he was drawn into expressing his opinion his point of view was arresting. "New Zealand landscape painting has been too topographical,” he said. “It seems that the scenerv has had too overpowering an effect.’ Instead of expressing through the medium of the brush an abstract idea or so, there has been a tendency among artists to be copyists merely. Not until painters here are content to come down to a few simple planes will they overcome the problem or landscape painting in New Zealand Mr. Chapman pointed out that painting had made much greater progress in Australia than in New Zealand. He attributed this a good deal to the fact that Australian scenery is more simple in general than that of New Zealand. The Australian artist was not hampered to the same extent as in the Dominion in expressing his dramatic or particular idea. “Mind vou,” said Mr. Chapman, "I find New Zealand art emerging from the purely topographical. There is a big development.”