ART EXHIBITION

Dominion, Volume 21, Issue 186, 9 May 1928, Page 15

ART EXHIBITION

SOME INTERESTING EFFORTS

NOTES BY “THE LAY FIGURE” '

(Concluded.) Considerable interest attaches to the work of Mr. McCormack, always characterised by a strong personal note. Mr. MvC’g: ek has been sketching at Sydney. His “Sydney Heads, Morning,” is radiant, with brilliant sunlight, and another harbour scene, hung lower down, Is equally successful. The tennis green drawing gains much by Inspection from a good distance, and the trees on the Hyde Park view might surely have been carried further with advantage. Neglected Waterside Scenes. Mr. Higlnbothaiu is nothing if not both industrious and conscientious. This year lie has devoted special attention to shipping and wharfsldc scenes, a subject not of late years receiving that degree of attention from our artists which ..is duo to its interest and importance. Six tine drawings all grouped together pay testimony to Mr. Illginbotham's wise selection of subject and dexterously artistic draughtsmanship and colour. Most visitors will, I expect, agree with me that his “Saturday Afternoon Kost” is his most successful effort. Note, too, .his cnirsclentious study of "Hocks at Lyall Bay’ (on the southern wall). As in all Mr. Illginbotham's work, there is here very sound draughtsmanship. The Australian Biisli. Like Mr. McCormack, Mr. Sydney Higgs, whose artistic progress is quite noticeably marked, has drawn his subjccts from Australia and Tasmania. Jn the three drawings by this artist, hung on the western wall, “Mountain Mists, “The Clearing,” and “The Tamaral, Launceston,” there is a singularly good perspective and excellent atmospheric effect. The spectre-like gaunt and bare gums in “The Clearing” are specially convincing to all who know the aspect of the Australian bush. I like, Pefkaps, even better the clever marine, but Mi. limbs S largest and most Important drawing is the Heysen-like study of a giant gumtree, hung on the northern wall. Mr. Higgs has, by these line drawings, come well un into the front rank of our Wellington amateur artists. Glimpses of Arupuni. Mr. Esmond Atkinson, true as ever to his own conventions as to the treatment of New Zealand landscape, has de'Oted much of his attention this Xbar to the wonderful waterways, which man is bringing under bis control up at Awanuni The drawing of torrents is fraught with’ difficulty, but Mr. Atkinson has been singularly successful in a very their seemingly chaotic movement a very real thing to the visitor.. For my own part, I like better his “Cora Lynn [ landscana “The Heads from the Hills, in which latter there is delightful blue, and the coastline towards the lighthouse Is a masterpiece of delicately-rendered rcaliSm‘ Mr. Murray Fuller. Mr Murray Fuller seems to have found time during his picture-buying trip to Ugland and to that Brittany which Is M? Fuller is among those who recognise that “God made sunthere is all the glory some old light abo“t his drawing across u houses at Quimperim Mount” Channel, and ins nu au gie—is ten—drawn from an nnusuM Augrn Kevcrul derly a . nd t SF. n t c v e£ to the satisfaction of these modest but eminently pleasing drawings. Promising Work. ng about the painting of ,the busli In hlv “Head of Lake Summer. All tnreo pictures mark a decided advance in her ar£ * A Newcomer.

< vniinc artist, a newcomer .to the Academy’" Bhows, I fancy, whose work will have to be reckoned with before long, Is Mr Eric Gully, .the possessor of a surname at least not without fame in the history of .New Zealand art. His alnine scene, ‘‘Mt. Rolleston from Crow Itlvtsr ” shows noticeable promise, and acaln’ In his “Otapoua Hills, Wnlrarapa, Mr. Gully sends a painstaking and excellent drawing.

Some Interesting Horse Studies.

Such rapid progress has been made by the young artist from the Hutt la his studies of horses that increasing inteicst is U evlncod each succeeding exhibition in the work of Mr. G. R. Lewens. lie Is represented this year by a ser*}' •ings of horses, most of which display-a keen perception of the importance of tho subjects. Perhaps the most, successful is his picture "Gravel Carts, which is better composed, with more attention paid to relative values, than some of his other studies. I like, too. the small painting, “A Best," and would at once give my vote to his poetically conceived, and, as to broken light, most successful J hrough the Gate,” but for some unacceptable draughtsmanship, notably in the rl K“t of the horse ou the right. Mr. Lewens shows evidence of direct study, but ho is still cither earcless or lacking, in skill in his drawing. It 18 a I'ity he could not study drafightsmauship under some good master. Mr. Nelson Isaacs. Mr. Nelson Isaacs has hitherto been mainly interested in that applied art, in which he is admittedly an expert. . He now comes forward as an exponent of landscape art, and makes a most pronils Ing debut, the lino perspective of his "Summer Day, Makun —his be ? lout ?, -• tributlon—and of his Rli tr -? 10u Mji Wanganui,’' being most P 1 ' 01 ? 0 ™, 0 , I * l *?,’ ,1, r*tthpr “cheeky,” yet pleasantly dccoi.iive “Dav’s B«'.” with its good foreground and hillside bush cftect, is a somewhat daring composition, with merits which Will be admitted the more the picture is studied. An Artistic Figure Study. tio\^to°the' I pninstaking o aml tneVwhose‘best eout'ributj’ons Jias been onuesby "bJSwu mX-piece °aeqMrod by the Academy. Downstairs, not G’o kJ 1 ,, Ai>nndv qktnd is u head in oils, vioici, whicl/has a’decided Quality pj son also contributes a pamsiaiaiio quietly beautiful landscape. A Fine Water-Colour. Another local lady artist, S J* BS E S i J{ l f" ( j noth Richardson, whose visit to. Dngmu resulted in a recent showing of many picturesque "bits,” is represented by two at least%ery delightful drawings, lioin the latter being, in my opinion, one of the best water <- ours in the show. Tn the downstairs gallery ",r--lev’s pastels, notably Ills lino bush n HI ••ti llnvwards,” merit inspection, and Mn Lei? Watkins sends a seriesi oconscientious marine studies w which shows no small progress. Hnstalrs. In ordfir to divide the liur est of visitors, the ? iria wisely placed many welcome trlpntions, notably Mr. Nugent study of a war-ruined town in Northern France, Dr. Carberry’s sketches of J- 1 ’? 1 . 1 ' Bay, so laudably Uno from augl t. like theatrical or tricky elfect, but eminently honest transcriptions from nature as the artist actually saw it, setting down nW plain air impressions. Some “Advanced” Art. The broad, advanced art which is so irreatly in vogue in Franco and England to-day, and which was studied by Miss Helen Ste Wart during her recent visit to the Old World, is suggested In three oi this lady’s oils, hung on the lower gallery. To some of us it may seem that it would be more productive of pleasant pictorial effect were Miss Stewart to have carried her work a little further, but her

street scene at Plongatel, Brittany, is singularly effective, especially when viewed at the right distance, although both Fete and in her Dlnan oil sketch I should like to see her figures a little more lileliko and definied Miss Stewart’s fine figure study, “An Italian peasant,” is in every wav a bold and successful piece of work. Mr. C. Hay Campbell, of Wanganui, is always a welcome contributor. His two Dutch girls will be much admired, as will also a seated female figure, whose title escapes my memory. Nfr. Campbells English sketches, at. Paignton and Bradfield, are both more than usually interesting. , Apropos? of Home scenes Miss Elizabeth, Perry’s Street at St. Ivos, and in particular Miss E. Turner's pictures of Haverfordencst, are well deserving of notice upstairs. Air. Cranforth Barton, many of whose drawings exhibited elsewhere recently were, despite their monotony of tone, so agreeably done, is best represented here by his London scenes. A Visitor. A special note of congratulation is due to an English artist visiting New Zealand, Miss Florence Blair, a lady of considerable reputation in tho Old Country by her tine work in coloured woodcuts. Miss Blair exhibits several •woodcuts, all displaying sound draughtsmanship and well-ordered colour. The woodcuts of a small bridge and of Mousehole Harbour are specially distinctive, both in design and colour. I like also the clever design of the Cream Shop,’’ another Cornish village scene. A local artist, Mr. Cooch. whose woodcut last year was so much admired, again shows some interesting work in tills genre and in etching. Miss Yvonne Benda!l s designs, though suggesting reminiscences of French designs of similar style, nre cleverly done, and very attractive. Black and white work is shown by W. L. 1 aimer. A. G. Palmer, Joy Lawson, and others. A Brilliant Poster Design. A design, apparently for a poster, of bathers at “Ballena Bay,” by F. M. v. Ellis, A.8.C.A., is bdld in design, and brilliantly vivid in colour. Other interesting work is shown by Jessie Lynch, whose portrait of a pleasantly smiling girl is well modelled, but is scarcly equal to her own standard of last year; L. 1. Waghorn, whoso “Evening on the Kid go Is singularly suggestive of an impressive cloudlessness and calm; Carl Laugeson, whose “Industry” is a welcome effort to depict an industrial scene; Misses Vial, Chapple, and others, including Miss Betty Rhlnd, whose drawing this year shows a fine advance in quality, and whose figure study of a quaintly attired model is decidedly successful; Mr. W. 11. Carter and others, to whose work, owing to the absence of a catalogue, it is somewhat difficult to refer in detail. It is customary each year to refer to the spirit of progress which characterises the work of our local artists, but there will be few visitors to question any such statement made this year.