THE ACADEMY PICTURES

Dominion, Volume 19, Issue 307, 23 September 1926, Page 4

THE ACADEMY PICTURES

OIL PAINTINGS

A.L.)

(By

ii. We miss Mr. Bowring’s usual contributions. Ho is represented only by a three-quarter length of the late Bight Hon. W. F. Massey, a work completed since the death of the late Premier, and lacking the inspiration to be gamed by contact with the living sitter so essential to a successful portrait. But we all heard the chorus, of disapproval of Augusus John’s portrait shown at Dunedin; if Augustus John failed, can Mr. Bowring be blamed for not wholly succeeding? ... , . The Christchurch school is replete with good artists, and the doyen of the group, Mr. Menzies Gibb, a contemporary of the youth of Walsh and Sydney Thompson, sends a good showing or both oil paintings and water colours. No. 31, “Estuary, Now Brighton, ’ is his most important landscape. The warm foreground well rendered, leads into the cool tones of the waterway complementing the blue sky and drifting clouds. There is mystery and intense stillness in “Dawn,” No. 125, a calm summer .sea, an effect of warm limits and cool purple-grey shadows. Numbers 67 and 131. already sold, are sand-dune subjects which display a special knowledge of the problems of sunlit sand and its subtle shadows. In her portraiture of women, Mrs. Tripe is always sympathetic, and this year she has given of her best. No. 106. “The Blue Ribbon/’ is one of the finest heads she has painted. The set of the shoulders striking a plane oblique to that of the face is rendered in tones of three dimensions, giving solidity and depth to the torso, while the head is gracefully poised and balanced by the rhythmic lino of the falling ribbon. A fine bit of painting indeed, enriched by the sombre blue and gold drapery, and punctuated by a sensitive ■ little hand. In No. 2, “Winter Morning, Wellington/’ Mrs. Tripe renders the familiar but ever varying profile of the Kaikouras, snow-tipped, emerging from a misty base in the blue sea, one of the most beautiful visions of our winter coast scenery. Who can not appreciate the rare quality of Mr. Lindley Richardson’s draughtmanship? If you have any difficulty in understanding ibis artist’s work, please glance at the small pencil drawing, No. 360, “Lizards/’ on the first screen: If you can not discern a suggestion of colour and a vague gleam of motherhood in the elder lizard’s eye, you have not fully grasped the artist's intention, but at least the firm tenuous line and the faultless presentation should give a thrill of satisfaction. I think it was Ingres who said that a picture well drawn was always sufficiently painted. The pleasure derived from the contemplation of form is intellectual, the joy that colour gives is merely sensuous: Mr. Lindley Richardson combines both form and colour in his group, "Companions/’ No. 118. His landscape, No. 101, "Winter Morning, Kelburn,” is the fruit of patient observation of a special effect. It is full of light, and shows a. hill side of impressive solidity. A clever drawing of Wellington, No. 353, explains how that solidity is obtained bv faultless drawing. LUMINISTS. Marcus King is the most hopeful clement in the Wellington group. His work based on a correct sense of values is Luminist in tendency. In No. 'lB, “The Sun Halo/’ he has attempted to convey not only the effects of light on form but the very component parts of light itself —a brilliant experiment founded in knowledge of the theory of light and its refraction. Less pedantic but more pleasing are the two pictures, Nos. 13 and 11, or the “Kids/’ No. 16. That Mr. King can paint a head in full light and workmanlike manner is to be seen in the “Portrait of My Father’’ in the same group. In fact, there is none of this work •from which we can uot learn something of the results achieved by reasoned observation of the demeanour of Light, the most important personage in any picture. Another budding luminist is Evelyn Polson. For several years past this young Christchurch artist has sent us landscapes with figures that were personal and had a special appeal of colour and design, but her latest work gives evidence of considerable progress and great promise. No. 16 is a courageous attempt to master that more exacting exercise, the nude olit of doors. The colour and treatment suggest the influence of Sydney Thompson, there is good drawing and graceful composition. It may be that the reflected lights on the torso and limbs could have been reduced to terms of greater simplicity, but a glance at Miss Polson’s landscapes will convince that the young lady has an outlook that is personal and far from common, and that she is no mere copyist, which argues well for her future career.

Mr. Harry Gora’s pictures, always pleasing, command a ready sale, and will become increasingly valuable as limo goes on, because they are small pictures well adapted to the dimensions of modern houses, and because they have something fresh to say about New Zealand scenery. Treated in a thin medium free from a too lavish impasto—which is out of place in a small picture—they arc as transparent as water colours. Of the present batch I like “Paritutu,” No. 75, best. The main tones of sky and beach have been well subordinated so as io enhance the glitter of the sunlit stretch of sea. DECORATIVE DESIGNS.

If a discerning buyer were in search of a decorative motif’to enrich a darkly panelled room, he would find nothing more beautiful that Miss Richmond’s “Cinerarias,” No. 108, in, which the lowtoned blooms glow with a smouldering splendour, and tho wedded harmonies lend grace and dignity to a work full of decorative feeling. Another panel near at hand, in blue monochrome, No. 99. “Sonata.” by Vivian Smith, A.R.C.A., in Greek in sentiment, and has a choreic rhythm. Compare with these tho ‘Cairo Gateway,” No. 107. by Richard Wallwork, A.R.C.A., which mav be forgiven the lack of obvious moonlight-at least such as wo know it in Egypt—for the fine sweep of the architectural masses. A little to the loft of this decorative group is a portrait of Mr. A. F. Lowe. C.M.G.. bv F. V. Ellis. A.R.C.A., a recent addition to the Wellington groivp of painters.; The portrait is said to closely resemble the sittcF, the flesh tones' are truthfully rendered, but the

head a little flat in structure. There is a somewhat similar subject in The Sergeant Gallery at Wanganui, a portrait by Goldie. In the work under consideration less insistence on tho accessories would have given tho head a greater importance. Miss Bettv Rhinds, always happy with child subjects, gives a very dainty little face in No. 116, “Patsy/’ with a nice blue muffler and white jumper. More seriously inclined. Miss Ethel Richardson has been working very hard on the West Coast, and has brought back a number of canvasses on which she has recorded her impressions of tho Franz Josef Glacier, snow-fed rivers, and eoast-wise scenes, several of which have found willing purchasers already, including No. 129, “Taipo River,” which I think is tho best of these very honest paintings. For many years a persistent wooer of landscape, Mr. Montgomery has at hist found his metier in portraiture, achieving a surprising success in a brief period of close study of the figure. His portrait of Mr. .Tames MacDonald, Ko. 7S. is a good head soundly constructed, has plenty of life in it, and is crisply painted Tho half-length of Mr. Crowther is remarkably like the sitter. Both works give full assurance that the artist is on the right track, nnd that lie will bo rewarded by better things to come.

On the top screen in the main gallery will lie found a fine charcoal sketch portrait of the late Dr. Hay. by Huia Arndt, with a character study on fh.e right of the screen, lioth of which display a rare skill in tho use'of the beautiful medium. On the same screen there are some coloured wood-cuts and etchings bv various artists, which will interest collectors.