N.Z. SOCIETY OF ARTISTS

Evening Star, Issue 21834, 25 September 1934, Page 7

N.Z. SOCIETY OF ARTISTS

AROUND THE PICTURES 4. THE CRAFT SECTION. Although the cruft section of the ex hibition is not numerically strong, it is extremely high in quality and artistic worth. So visitor to the display should miss this work, for fine (craftsmanship is by no means common in New Zealand exhibition. It is therefore better to see three line needlework exhibits than thirty mediocre ones. The two designs in embroidery, two panels lovely in colour, show that Louise Henderson is essentially a creative artist. The conceptions, admirably put down, and full ot appreciation of the qualities of needlework, arc original and refreshing to see. Tui MacFarlane’s framed panel of embroidery is a lovely piece of refined colour, showing how a Maori pattern may be used for needlework without loss of quality of the craft. The hand-wrought silver work by J. A. Johnstone is distinguished by fine taste. The small areas of design, splendidly placed, contrast and relieve tne larger plain areas; and on the sensitive shapes one’s eye lingers with delight. Equally fine, and more interesting in the design motive, is the silver casket by Chrystabel Aitken, in which a finely conceived design lends beauty to a refined shape. Her terra-cotta exhibits show a true appreciation of the beauties of c!;i\ correctly used, and ‘.lie models arc so.id and finely designed. An inte rs:! ;g group, of equal and high •iior.t. thelittle models make one of tht; favourite displays lu tho whole exhibition. SCULPTURE. lu the fine little daman: stone carving, * Sea Maid,’ by 11. N. Field, which lias been loaned for exhibition by Bliss D. White, wo see those qualities that show a true appreciation of the qualities of the stone. It has a dignity and peace that marks the work of a sensitive artist. The garden ornament ‘ Percival,’ by Ruth Perry, is carved also with some thought to the qualities of Oainaru stone. It is a well-balanced and splendidly-conceived carving, the flat planes contrasting with and relieving the curves with good effect. The ‘ Sculpture Piece ' by Lexie Macarthur shows original conception and a teeling (or form. A portrait model, full of subtle modelling and sensitive forms, Francis Shurrock’s ‘ Edward Armstrong ’ show’s the craftsman and artist at bis best. A wood carving by Russell Clark, (all of rhythm and showing good use of wood as a medium, completes the craft and sculpture section. It is a healthy •sign that this young society, essentially a painting and drawing group, can exhibit craft work of such quality; and speaks well of the breadth of outlook and interest they possess. DRAWINGS AND PRINTS. One could more easily rhapsodise over the black and white section that is displayed in this exhibition than perhaps over any other part. It is always good to see fine drawings; for it show's that the artists’ other works are built on a firm and permanent foundation. There is in the drawings generally a grip of the essentials of form and rhythm that go to make a drawing a work of art. For appreciation of form, and the use of pencil for rendering solidity, the drawings of Jessie Lloyd stand second to none in tbo exhibition. How often a pencil drawing is a -dead thing, photographically formless, and perfect to the point of dullness! Not so with, these live and vivid renderings. James Cook needs no introduction to the Dunedin lovers of art. and his pencil drawings represent him perhaps better than his oils. Carefully and perfectly finished, they are yet very much alive and full of interest. 1 The Two Tramps ’ is a study that is of ready appeal, and shows excellent placing on tne page. ‘ Canal, Ghent,’ is well composed and finely finished. One might easily criticise these drawings for lack of freedom and spontaneity, but that, after all, is a matter of personal character, and every drawing or work of art must express the individual outlook. The lino-prints by Gladys Anderson are good examples of a craft becoming more popular these days. Each print shows an appreciation of the qualities of lino and good use of the cutting gouges. Printed on toned paper, they make an interesting group, the ‘ Hedgehog ’ being a simple but fine little design, and ‘ Haka,’ more decorative in character, giving the rhythmical repetition of the dance most successfully. A lino-cut by Rodney Kennedy is original in treatment and interesting iu composition; while the print ‘ Composition ’ by Lexie Macarthur is pleasantly decorative in simple shapes. Movement and rhythm are the keynotes of Chrystabel Aitken’s linoprints. Perhaps No. 4 is the more rhythmical, though the colour ot the other is pleasant and attractive. Among the lino-cuts are a number which can readily be criticised for their lack of appreciation of lino qualities and a straining after wood-cut effects. The technique and delicacy or the prints by V. .Macmillan Brown and Francis Shurrock are open to this criticism, while those of Olivia Spencer Bower have more truly the breadth ot lino-cuts. However, ‘ St. Francis, by the first, is full of a feeling of mystery and has the peacefulness we expect from the subject, while the simplicity and feeling of weight in the little print ‘ Deidre ’ by F. Shurrock is fine to see. His ‘ Sale Day,’ interesting iu its very human subjects, is a well arranged and clever work. , . The four lino-prints by Olivia Spencer Bower ate essentially individual both in conception and outlook. technique is interesting and broad. ‘ Toiling Sisters of St. Clare ’ is a dignified design, full of rhythmical movement, yet admirably controlled and unified. The clever use of tones of grey, suggesting solid forms, makes each of her exhibits original and refreshing to behold. No less dignified, but contrasting clear)v, is the little wood-cut by F. Shurrock, ‘ Be Still Earth, Be Silent, which has a simplicity and peacefulness out of all proportion to its small size. Broader in treatment, the lino-cut by Jessie Lloyd is an excellent example of a portrait in which the rhythmical ones of the sitter are carried through uito the background. In the ‘ Bell lower’ R. N. Field gives a print full of interest, in which blacks and whites are cleverly used. New Zealand landscape is well rendered in the etchings by J. H. C. Edgar, whoso ‘ Matukituki Steeps ’ has all the weight and solidity of mountain rock masses, while his ‘ Manuka Scrub, successful in its representation of the subject, has a well-defined pattern of patches of bush. Interesting, too, are the prints by Edgar Seelye, whoso etching 1 Unloading ’ is well-composed and powerful in line, while the drypoint ‘ The Yard makes full use of the velvety quality ol the medium. Drypoint is again successfully used by Harry V. Miller m his single print, ‘ The Rock,’ while R. H. Fraser’s etching is cleanly carried out.

Ruth Perrv also shows two etchings which are 'interesting fairy-world conceptions. Two prints by J. M. Thomasson, good in technique, are of merit, No. 248 showing more feeling for rhythm than the other. His lithographs make good use of their peculiar quality, No. 251 being the most original design. This completes a section widely varied and full of interest to artist and layman alike.