ART EXHIBITION

Evening Star, Issue 18435, 19 November 1923, Page 4

ART EXHIBITION

SMALL BUT CREDITABLE.

No. 2. WATER COLORS. Wo are always glad to welcome pictures of outstanding merit, .not only because of the joy thev give to the spectator, but •also because to' the exhibitors they servo as models of what can bo accomplished, 'Five artists may thus bo grouped together, ' p.ll very good 'in different ways, thus illustrating tho variety.,; attainable in-water colors. J. Weeks, in 248, ‘Tho Charm of Christchurch Twilight,’ at once recalls Whistler, who “conquered tho night.” It is a beautiful piece of work, .full of the elusive charm of evening. His ‘ Showery Sunshine, Takapuna, Auckland’ (269), is a dainty little picture, akin to Whistler’s Tn tho Channel.’ loth impressionistic. Of his others, 523, ‘Stonebridgo, Near Oamaru,’ is sold, and ‘ Colombo Street, Christchurch ’ (375), has few shadow effects and is a fine piece of work. C. H. Howarth has an eye for the majestic in Nature, though in ‘ Cockington Village, Devon ’ (329), and ‘ Capel Court ’ (351, sold), lie shows that ho can also han- ! die scenes of tranquillity. Among bis two best are ‘ Winter, (Mount Cook from tho Hermitage’ (28-1), and ‘Mount Sefton from the lied Lake ’ (507), both full of vigor (and showing some typical New Zealand ■coloring. 1 D. K. Richmond’s pictures arc always pleasing, with their nico sense of color. Slump and Lambs, Paraparaumu,’ doi picts a peaceful scene, relieved by the blues and greens of sea and cliffs. ‘ Arthur’s Pass, Afternoon ’ (254), and ‘ Sheep, Havelock North’ (348),'are good, the latter particularly in shoving tho dried-up grass. Arch. F. Nicoll. in ‘ Summer Breezes' I (310), has caught the wind well, though to 'get the full effect of tho picture ono needs jto stand well back. ‘The Foothills’ (316) is a charming little work, with perhaps I rather much sky. j Mrs Scctt Stevenson has some dainty [ work, which shows her keen sense of color lvalues. ‘Near Hari-Hari’ (295) is a good study of shallow water, and 1 A Bush Clearing’ has the note of colonial life, with jts solitary cottage peeping between the trees.

I It is manifestly impossible in a short ■ i riiiquo to mention all the artists, many—• perhaps the larger proportion —having no special merit or fault. Some, on the other 1 hand, invite notice, perhaps, because they ■keep strictly to one type, and of such is L-\. Paul, whoso three pictures are of flowers, all clever enough to make one hope that he will choose other subjects next year. ‘ Violets ’ (264) is a specially pood study in purples; and, while on the "still-life” pictures, we may add the names of Nina. Jours, whose ‘ Olearia ’ (417) lacks “breath,” chiefly owing to her brown background, which has taken the color from the real theme,; and Myra bane, with ‘Spring Flowers’ (228), a. pleasing little work. Betty Rhind, in The Vegetable Girl ’ (563), lias undertaken an extremely difficult task—to express human motion, hero seen in the girl peeling an apple. It is a fairly safe rule that a short definite action of this sort is best left alone in art, as it necessarily leaves in the mind of the onlooker a sense ,of incompleteness and almost of irritation, j Others, again, show special aptitude in atmospheres and distances, and yet others are ambitious enough to try water-color portraits, notoriously difficult. Those who have attempted portraits have done good work. Airs Sawtoll’s ‘Reminiscences’ (304) is a fine study, both in color and expression. B. E. Chappie has an interesting half-figure in ‘The Tammy’ (282), and Helen Young stands out well among other exhibitors with three head studies, all refined, delicate, yet full of life—4s2, Portrait’ (something like an enlarged ’""nature), 366 (perhaps the best), and 357. * Pictures with atmospheric effects are, as j nrm would expert, (lie most numerous, I since wafer color is the happiest medium i for this kind of work. In ‘Courts of Justice’ (435) Mrs Frihcrg has done, beautiful work, with ils soil evening haze. Lucy Greenish has a nice little snow study. ‘Winter, Lake Wakatipu’ (422), though her other pictures are somewhat stiff Lind hard in color. Airs Spencer Bower, in ‘lslo of Wight. From Bournemouth Bay’ (389), gives one tho feel of distance. William Smaill, with ‘Autumn Gold, Mat.au ’ (372), has a good sense of space. Helen Christie has done some thoroughly good work, especially in indicating haze and mist, in ‘ Old Cottage, Owaka"* (312), ‘Alouth of Knikorai Stream’ (426), and ‘Near AVingatui ’ (437). N. Welch has succeeded in showing a gathering storm in ‘Alaua, tho Mainland’ (300). C. 11. Barton in both pictures has shown much ability, especially in indicating height in 387, ‘Evening Shades.’ Elizabeth Kelly shows mastery of clear color, and succeeds in showing snnsbi.no in 275, ‘Street Scene, St. Ives.’ 364, ‘Through the Trees, Kaikoura,’ is a. clean piece of work; all her work is good, though perhaps in 395, 1 Evening, St. Ives,’ the reflections are rather hard. A. C. HipweU’s , ‘ The Beach ’ (405) is his best, as hero i lie has good atmosphere and space. 245, i ‘ Kaiwi Beach, Wanganui,’ by L. Hay ! Campbell, is pleasing! Ethel Richardson, in 207, ‘ Ackman’s Point, Endeavor Inlet,’ has done good work; and C. Packer shows bleakness in ‘Old Cottage’ (244). W. Stark has two really interesting pictures—j ‘ The Savoy Corner ’ (216), with its fine ' cloud effects, makes us feel that we are indeed looking down on to the street; and i 272, ‘ Tho Alieway,’ a fine study of a stono I corridor. Airs Blunt, in ‘ Tho Solitary Tower ’ (250), has caught tho mist of falling rain well; and wo reserve for tho last in this section tho names of those who have done the best work —W, Menzics Gibb, with his very fine sand pictures, 354, | ‘ Midday on the Sandhills, New Brighton,’ 317, ‘ Sandhills, Now Brighton,’ and 342, ‘ Sunshine and Port Hills, Christchurch,’ in all of which ho conveys the place of the shore; and M. H. Moyrick, i with his two Egyptian scenes and the disi tanca of tho desert. His bettor work, i however, is in the two Savoyard pictures—j delightful pictures both, with tho stone i work extraordinarily well done —217, ‘ Ruo Pcrriere, Annoog,’ and 222, ‘Lo Chateau, Annoeg, Haute Savoie.’ Few painters have attempted interiors, and of these W. S. Dudley’s ‘ Interior Cathedral, Pains ’ (396), stands out as a careful, interesting piece of work. C. L. Watkin has rather too much detail for this class of work, especially in 442, ‘ Capo Runaway’—it detracts from tho main interest of tho picture. M. O. Stoddart, a well-known artist, has three pictures—24l, ‘A Glacier Stream Near Hermitage,’ 318, ‘ Manuka Blossoms, Banks Peninsula,’ and 378, ‘Sand Tracks.’ Two pictures stand out conspicuously — ono by Ropald M'Kenzic, a voung artist (ambitious, too, judging by tho choice of subject). ‘ Tranquillity (234) is a careful piece of work, and tho slight defects in drawing will bo overcome with more practice, but tho artist has succeeded admirably in giving us tho sense of peace. The other is perhaps tho best of all tho water colors—‘November Afternoon on tho Thames at Chelsea 1 (266), by W. A. Bowring, R. 0.1., a beautiful pastel breathing the stillness and chill of an English autumn.

On tho whole, tho artists are to ho congratulated on the general style of work; and, whatever may bo said of tho exhibition, it has the merit of attracting a largo number of people every day. And, after all, that is wlut is wanted—public interest in art and death to apathy! ART CRAFTS SECTION. The art crafts’ section in tho Dunedin Public Art Gallery Society’s present exhibition is not altogether satisfactory as far as numbers arc concerned, as it is confined to less than a dozen exhibitors : but as an offset against this the quality of the work is really magnificent, and within its limits should compare mast favorably with any exhibitions of its- class in the dominion. From the offset it must be frankly confessed that it is extremely disappointing to find that art craft is so generally neglected in Dunedin, as, apart from the efforts of a few highly-gifted individuals, little seems to have been done in the direction of encouraging the fashionin£..al tts-.'bsaaiifal io. jack 'materials as

copper and enamel. In Christchurch this class of work is regarded as a very important part of the activities of the School of Art, where very large classes axe conducted. In consequence of this, the Canterbury Art Society makes a feature of this section, which attracts an extraordinarily varied assortment of ornamental objects, as well as articles for more mundane purposes, which aro in keen demand by tho baying public. In the present exhibition no real enamel work is shown, though that which is done in conjunction with other materials shows that it is not really a lost art as far as this city is concerned. In most cases, however, it plays but a subsidiary role in the decorative schemes, and in a few instances might even have been dispensed with altogether. This section is made noteworthy by the very meritorious exhibits of painted .china by Mr and Mrs A. S. Beck mid of handpainted pottery by Mr Beck, and it does not take the trained eye of the connoisseur to detect their intrinsic artistic merit. Exhibits 524 and 526, coffee cups and saucers, and 524, coffee jng, arc some beautiful examples of imitation Instroware baked l in Mr Beck’s own kiln, their wonderful sheen and coloring making tStem outstanding objects in a case that contains some of the best work in tho section. There are four examples of Buskiuware, of exquisite tangerine shading, whilst exhibit 523, an ordinary piece of china plate, is noteworthy for its subdued coloring. No. 527, a. sweets bowl, with navy blue centre, yellow borders with fruit designs, is more pretentious, but it is a delightful example of perfect workmanship combined with exquisite art. Tho second case contains further examples of Justreware from a hair tidy to an Egyptian urn, all resplendent with the same gorgeous bloom that marked tho other exhibits. There is also shown a piece of clay obtained from Mr Bock’s own properly, together with a hair tidy in unfired clay. There is an absence of garishnesa about tho painting, and the firing and polish could hardly have been improved upon. Miss Olivia V. Burton has three exhibits. No. 520 is a pewter and enamel box containing a view of Queenstown as the centrepiece done in enamel, and, like 519 a beaten pewter glove box, is gracefully designed and beautifully finished. Her best work, however, is to ho found in the elaborate pewter work minor, though it is spoilt a, little hy tho design, which is as unappropriato ns it is conventional. Tho mirror is nicely sot off with a largo enamel medallion on the lower edge. Miss Burton also has a copper tray and copper triangular fruit bowl, the on.lv examples of this kind of work in tho exhibition.

Misa .Ruby E. Israel is represented with a pewter end enamel frame, with a design of a peacock in preen enamel, and pewter mirror frame with many points of similarity to Miss Burton’s. They are both pood" examples of this class of work, though the designs arc becoming too hackneyed, peacocks and dragons almost exhausting tho entire list af subjects. Miss Mary Hanhan’s pewter casket docs not lose'in comparison with similar work on tho same table; but here, again, the. pencock noble spread of feathers has beijn called; upon to supply the decorative side, though this does not in any way lessen its artistic merit. No. 516, pewter and emymel bag, is a creditable performance on her part. Mrs A. Lees, in No. 504, has gone* outside tho animal kingdom for her tiesigns for her pewter frame and mirror, a homely Maori wharo proving an admirable substitute. No. 511, a jewel casket with firered enamel centre, is an hones'/, bit of workmanship, and the same applies to M. Smith’s work box, with Maori c’/esign. The color scheme for No. 610, Miss Doreen Do Clifford’s tea set, may not satisfy all, but the almost, ja/.z-liko border design certainly adds a touch o 7 the bizarre to this exhibit, which on t,be whole is highly satisfactory. This versatile artist is" tho ono exhibitor of poker work, n massive niusio cabinet, and] the finished article appears to havo been well worth all the .time and infinite patience that must Isivc been devoted to it.

There is little marquetry work shown, and it does not reach a particularly high standard. Mrs P. I/, Rvtchie’s stand for cards is really too pretentious to ho truly artistic, and the same applies to her floating flower stand, though, both are examples oi faithful workmanship. The vaso (No. 506) scorns to bo tho most satisfying. T’ho one most noticeable blemish in tho exhibits of Miss Myra A. Lane is faulty firing, though otherwise there is much to commend.