FINE ARTS EXHIBITION

Evening Star, Issue 20020, 10 November 1928, Page 4

FINE ARTS EXHIBITION

A VERY HIGH STANDARD A largo number of art lovers attended the opening of the Dunedin Public Art Gallery Society in the Pioneers’ Hall last night. After a preliminary inspection of the pictures Sir George Fenwick gave a short address having been asked to do so in the absence of the president, Mr J, Loudon, who had to go to Wellington. Sir George said he thought ho was justified in the opinion that they had never in the history of the society had a collection of pictures of such a generally fine standard as those on exhibition'on the walls of their old gal-, lory. It was not only gratifying to tho society as a whole that they should find such a distinct advance in tho quality of the pictures as they had before them, but it must bo especially gratifying to the working members of the society to know that there was a steady advance in the Quality of their work, and that they wore able to produce such a fine lot of pictures as those which graced the walls. He wanted to thank very heartily indeed Mr Hackett, the lessee of the hall on Saturday nights, for relinquishing it to the society on that night for several consecutive weeks. He also very cordially thanked the Early Settlers’ Association, which had met the society in a most generous way, and had enabled it to show tho pictures to advantage. He desired, further, to thank tho Bristol P.iano Company, which had come ( forward and kindly consented to pro- ' vide them with a musical programme. I Tho pictures exhibited this year wore certainly of a very high standard. He did not think he was going too far in saying that it was the best exhibition by local artists they had had. He had been asked to say that afternoon tea would be provided on two days in tho week—Wednesdays and Fridays. Mr Neilson had suggested that he should urge the duty of all who were able to do so to endeavour to secure for the working artists the success of the eshition from a financial point of view, for it was well known that the emoluments of artists were not great unless they reached the top of the treo. In many cases our local artists were entirely dependent upon their professional work, and tho success of the art union was therefore of importance to them. It was the duty or members to make the art union, now in progress, a success, and ho asked them to help their hardworking artist friends Sir George announced that the following were the winners of the prizes offered by the society for students’ work: —Still life study in oil, Ruth Turner; still life study in water colour —Alfred Webster, Miss G. Mansell h.c.; landscape in water colour, Eana B. Jeans; study of a head in oil, Ruth Turner; study of a head from life, in pencil, chalk, or charcoal, Ruth Turner and Eana B. Jeans (equal), Ruth Turner h.c Mr D. E. Thcomin said that there, had been a little misunderstanding in connection with the appointments to the council at the annual meetings, and in consequence a committee had been set up by the council to meet delegates from the working artists of the society, and a most amicable arrangement had been reached. It provided that tho council’s managing committee, at least for this year, should have added to it three members of the working section of the society. It had boon a pleasure to work with these members, and the working members had done the council the justice of admitting that, after they had .seen the way tbo council worked, there had been very little cause for complaint. The- council had been able to snow them that there was no justification for dissatisfaction, and the work had gone on as smoothly as it could. He wanted to pay a tribute to the kindly and courteous way tho working section of tho committee had assisted them. Ho trusted that if there were any artists who thought they had been unjustly treated they would recollect that no favour had been shown. Whatever misunderstanding there might have been, it seemed certain there would bo harmonious working in the future.

The following is the result of the drawing of the honorary members’ art union:—First prize, 126, W. F. James; second, 19, H D. W. Brewer; third, 215, F. M. Shortt; fourth, 51, J. Cleghorn; fifth, 152, Mrs A. G. Melville; and sixth 157, A. C. Matheson. Then followed in succession the following prize-winners:—W, D. Main, Mrs Fergus, Miss C. Dillon, J. J. Clark, M. Stuart Holmes, Mrs E. A. Cogan, Mrs J. M. Ritchie, F. Zl Moore, Miss E. 15. Smith, James Hutchison, George Crow, and Miss J. M. Gallaway.