THE OTAGO ART SOCIETY’S EXHIBITION.

Evening Star, Issue 10783, 18 November 1898, Page 1

THE OTAGO ART SOCIETY’S EXHIBITION.

A NOTICE OF THE EXHIBITS. No. 111. Dealing row with the water colors, the first in this section is No. 128, Mabel Hill’s ‘ Memories,’ the representation of an old man, the picture of, contentment, this idea being conveyed not only by the visual expression but by the attitude and by the artist’s small work. It is one test of a successful painting that it tells its own story, and this test can be applied to ‘Memories.’ No. 157, ‘An Old Wife,’ also by Mabel Hill, might very well serve as a companion piece to No. 128. The dear old grandmother—we feel sure she is a grandmother —wears that look of serenity that belongs to the winter time of a righteous life, and the keen intent in the eyes betokens a harvest of pleasant memories. One gazes with much satisfaction on both pieces, for they are thoroughly artistic. Yet another figure study by the same artist is No. 180, the half-length presentment of a young lady who, comely enough to set off the plainest of frocks, is, as the ladies say, “ perfectly lovelyin her red dress trimmed with cream lace, Mabel Hill has bestowed a lot of thought and a considerable amount of time on the finishing of this work, in witne;B whereof we would point to the fine paintii g of the lace. The figure, too, is capitally done, and even for its bright coloring alone the exhibit would be a credit to the sender. Several landscapes are also shown by Mabel Hill. M ost important of these is ‘An Autumn Day,’ a largo meadow view with trees and a figure or two in the middle distance. While the syene is nice and open, with plenty of space and freedom about it, on the other hand not a single inch of the canvas is superfluous or unprofitably used.

It, is, in'"short, a true bit of nature, exempt from any taint of artificiality. OfJ this artist’s smaller landscapes, ‘ When the Kye comes Hame ’ is chiefly valuable for its sunset effects in the sky, though the cows themselves are well drawn; ‘ The Silverstream, Hutt,’ is quite satisfactory so far as the water and the marshy growths are concerned, but the sky seems somewhat woolly, and the tree lacks definition; 1 Moonrise on the Taieri,’ a rather daring effort, is successful beyond the average in respect to the reflections on the shore; and ‘The Taieri Mouth’ :s a creditable example of plain everyday werk. This important collection closes with a garden piece called ‘Spring Blossoms,’ which, though in no way striking, is not likely to imperil this versatile artist’s reputation. Following the order of the catalogue, the next exhibitor named is A. H. Fisher, who has two contributions, an insipid study of rosea and a decidedly promising little landscape entitled ‘ Clearing After Riiu.’ If the foreground of the lastmentioned work were reduced, so as to dispense with the sandhill tussocks, the remainder of the work would, we think, look very welh J. H. Scott's resolute and unambiguous drawing makes ‘ The Footbridge' what it is—a feature on the walls, and of the other landscapes by the worthy secretary of the society there can be little doubt that preference must be given to No. 162 (‘A Ssawrrl Bush’)j in which capable treatment makes a great deal out of the simple subject of two or three native trees on a hillside. No fewer than seven exhibits are seat in by Miss Hodgkins, and we are pleased to note that this painstaking artist is so largely represented. ‘ Trespassers,’ wh’ch has for its theme a woman ordering a fl;ck of geese out of her garden, nuy perhaps be considered a trifle indefinite in regard to the surroundings; aud we cannot honestly profess love for ‘ The Siesta,’ since the wheelbarrow is obviously mounted awry, and it is not easy to understand the application of the title ; but the three contributions which have for their subjects a picturesque Maori girl are simply charming —‘ Te Tawhera’ being quite a masterpiece in the way of posing and expression; ‘ And Age is the Tims of Peace ’ representing with marked success an old man who has stopped reading to enjoy the delight of doing nothing, his face being portrayed with rare power; whilst ‘The 0;d Bachelor’ is a perfect triumph in its class, aud the personal appearance of the ■ e mile inmate who is caught in the act of threading a needle agrees nicely with the severe'y methodical aspect of his room. C. H. Howorth, always a welcome contributor, is this year to the fore with seven pieces, out of which we can only pick one that does not take our fancy. The reference is to No. 100 (‘Silver Stream Of the other six, all are abundant in thought and in extern ivc power, and it is hard to ray which is the beat, though our choice is ‘ A West Coast Sound ’ (No, LSD), tin's (Itpie'ing with rare filJity the leuping waves ,nl the hollows of the broken water, ami being quite satisfactory aho in regard to persp ctive in the long vrw up to the bead of the inlet. Mrs Og-ton, who improves year bv j ear, : s responsible for four p ; c‘utvs. The view of an old church at Tamuki docs not strike us as superior to the average, and the Waiau scene suffers from an exaggeration of the purplish hue on the distant hills; but ‘On the Ow&ka ’ is a gem, noteworthy particularly for the artistic manner in which the shadows in the water are depicted and for the plain indication of a cm rent round the bend of the stream, and the Davenport scene may be reckoned one of the most charming of the small water colors in the whole gallery. Tue drifting yachts, some partially underwayunder the influence of a catspaw, others helplessly becalmed, are very nicely done, and the warm evening clow- is exactly what one sees in the Auckland Harbor. It is on this and the Ovvaka piece, that wc rely for justification of our remark that Mrs Ogston, is rapidly coming to the front amongst our local workers in wafer colors. Miss G. Joel’s one contribution to this section of the gallery is a pastel to be found on the stage door. Under the title of ‘Sweet Seventeen’ it gives a half-length picture of a brunette dressed in sparkling blue. As a study of c dor it ia one of the most effective exhibits on the walls, completely outshining all its neighbors. This facility in regard to colors is no doubt a specialty with Miss Joel. Twolandseapes and two flower pieces are sent in by Mits C. White, and there can be no question that it is in regard to the flowers that this lady has gained the better results. Her Marechal Kiel rose* are not merely pretty and nicely painted; they are the very roses themselves, evidently produced after attentive observation of the growing plant. The red roses are also well done, but the bowl seems to be cut of drawing.