THE YEAR'S ART

Evening Post, Volume CXXIII, Issue 130, 3 June 1937, Page 25

THE YEAR'S ART

ACADEMY SHOW

INFLUENCE OF THE CINEMA !

PICTURES OF NOTE

(From "Tlia Pest's" Beprweirtatlvt),

LONDON, May 1.

The influences of the Coronation is seen at the annual exhibition of the Royal Academy of Arts in the special exhibition, cf Royal patrons of the Academy. 'These include every English Sovereign from George 111, painted in 1779 by Sir Joshua Reynolds, to. Georgia VI, whose portrait was painted last year by the American, Simon Elwes. The portraits of George 111 and Queen Charlotte, also painted by Sir Joshua Reynolds in '1779, were presented-to the Academy by George 111. Every: succeeding Monarch,: with the exception of Edward VIII; is included. * ,■■■•.. ■ . • •'■ '

A less conventional portrait of the late King George V is by Alfred Munninga^B.Jl. It is a study in blues and greens,, for. the horse . and rider are in the'Sandririgham Park in-the full bloom of summer. Sandringham is in the distance. It is a painting notable chiefly for1 its .sentimental memories and for its depiction of the rider as a typical country squire.. The Jikeness of Jock is finely reproduced, which is not surprising; for the artist's speciality is horses, and other pictures from his brush hung this year include "Saddling Mahmoud, the Derby winner, 1936," and a racing scene entitled "After the Kace." ; , NEW ZEALAND ARTIST. New Zealand is represented by Mr. Christopher Perkins (Wellington), who has had his "Lisseweghe, Flanders," hung. This honour in itself is a recognition of the artist's work. The subject selected, by Mr. Perkins will not arouse universal admiration —a large red church with a peasant tilling vegetables in the foreground—but the ytoik is exceptionally; good.

The chief interest forNewZealanders, perhaps,, lies lit the paintings of Mr. S. J. Lamorna Birch, R.Av who IS known personally in the Domihion. There is always a sense of' cleanness and freshness about his work which rfeveal him to be a lover of the open spaces. Five of his pictures have been hung arid each is a delight. Two of them-are of Argyllshire: The Shores of/Loch Kiddon and the Seil Sound, the Glachan. A third is entitled "When We Went Gipsying, Lamorna." It is a woodland scene, the lush green leaves of giant trees forming an amphitheatre above a secluded and select party.' A. brush less skilfully directed could have reduced the setting'to an amorphous splodge,-but Mr. Lamorna Birch' has made a living scene. -: : WOMEN OF THE SCREEN. It is inevitable that the cinema, occupying so large.a place in the entertainment of the world today, should provide subjects for the Academy. This year no fewer than seven accepted women, stars have been hung. Mr. T. C. Dugdale, A., has painted Miss Yvonne Arnaud and Miss Jessie Matthews; Mr. Robert D. Greenham' has selected Miss May Oliver 'as ■'■ "Aunt Betsy Trotwood," and^ Greta Cfarbo as "Anna Karenina." * Miss Merle Oberon sat for, Mr. Gerald L. Brockhurst, a noted portrait painter, who has emphasised the Oriental character of her eyes and provided her with ,his typical Setting of distant hills. Miss AnnaNeagle, who is to take the part of Queen Victoria, is shown by Cathleen Mann wearing a becoming, peasant's dress, and Miss Lili Palmer has nlade a tempera study for Margaret Smith. A striking commentary on cinema posters is John Keating'? "Sacred and Profane Love." A huge placard shows two heads in an embrace.- Placidly engaged in his work is a biH poster, and in the foreground are several di icrepH figures whose . relief from the cares of this world are found either in cinema halls or in public houses. A poorly-clad woman 'is attending to Tier son, and two smart typists are striding out of the picture.

One of the pictures last year which attracted a great deal of attention was George Belcher's "I Dreamt That I Dwelt in Marble Halls." This year the artist has two interesting studies entitled "The Bag" and "George Petch," which promise to attract comment. "The Bag" shows a placid,, aged charlady sitting beside a table on which are placed a selection of household articles, including a bottle of milk, and, oddly enough, also a bottle of cham-

pagne, somewhat otit of keeping with the setting. She evidently has made a feood "haul." Brother Patch, in Masonic regalia, is reminiscent-of, the cornet player of last year, "both as to features and environment, which includes a mug of^good honest ale. FOUNDING OF AUSTRALIA. ~ The. pjacierqf •■ honour in' .Gallery 111 has been' allotted this*year .to "The Founding "of" Australia 'by, Captain Arthur" Phillip, R.N.; Saturday, January 26. 1788,".fr0m the.brush of Algernon Talmage, E.A. It is a, massive work, one of the largest canvasses in the Academy. In the foreground the fresh-ly-unfurled Union/Jack is. fluttering in the Australian air. Around it are a number of ship's. officers and soldiers engaged in drinking a toast, the substance for 'which has been drawn from a useful-sized ruin barrel. Soldiers'are drawn up to "the right. The bluegum, so characteristic of the Commonwealth, grows in profusion around the bay, in which a British ship is at anchor. Tt is ; an ;■ ambitious subject, and one that deserves the honour conferred upon the? artist. * : ' ■

Dame Laura Knight, R.A., whose work is always of considerable interest, has produced this year an unusual painting entitled. "The London Palladium." It is a scene of the theatre from; a box in which is seated a somewhat unprepossessing woman gazing upon the stage. The audience and auditorium are in the dim background. It is a striking picture, and the artist's manner of painting the flesh of the subject in the box is; at least original. A mottled effect has: been used whicfi 13 noticeable at some: distance. It has been bought for 1200 guineas by Mr. George Black* on behalf ,of the General Theatre Corporation. Interest also attaches to portraits by Harold Knight, R.A.-elect, Dame Laura's husband, who has achieved this distinction after a number of years' hard, work. ■'■■•- '•. • ' ■ .

Another unusual picture is "The Good Work," by Keith Henderson. It shows an old-fashioned method of feeding orphaned lambs. A sturdy farm wench is holding a young lamb in her lap. and pouring milk from her mduth down ' the animal's throat. A little girl stands sympathetically by with a mug of milk in her hand, and nearby a grinning youth has tucked under his arm the next animal to be fed. Above this picture, offering a striking contrast, is "Charmian," daughter of the Hon. G. Hamilton Russell, a pleasing study of a small girl with a spaniel's head upon, her lap. It is iby Edmond Brock.