SOCIETY OF ARTS.

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXXI, Issue 15257, 18 March 1910, Page 2

SOCIETY OF ARTS.

THIRTIETH ANNUAL EXHIBITION

CONVERSAZIONE AND PRIVATE VIEW.

The thirtieth annual exhibition of the Canterbury Society of Arts was opened last evening in the presence of an exceptionally large gathering, at a conversazione and private view in the .urt Gallery. The guests of the Society wcro received by the president, Air James Jamieson, and Airs Jamieson, and subsequently the president declared the exhibition open. In his opening speech the president gave some time to a review of the work of the Society in the thirty years of its existence. On June 30, 1880, lie said, a meeting was held in St Aiichael’s Schoolroom. Air Penny, vicar of St Michael’s Church, occupied the chair, and Captain Temple, Professors lintton and Von Haast, and Alcssrs Aclaiul, Corfe, Lance, Lean, Alainwaring, Neville and Wynn-Williams formed a provisional committee. The meeting adjourned till July 15, when the lion Henry John Tancred was elected as the first president, with Air Wynn-Williams as vice-president, and Captain Temple as secretary. Early in 1881 the first exhibition of the Society was held in the Boys’ High School, kindly lent by the Board of Governors of Canterbury College, and the results of the exhibition enabled the Society to purchase a picture entitled “ Shades of Evening,” by John Gibb, which was placed in the Aluseum until the Society had a gallery of its own. in 188-5 Captain Garsia took up the secretaryship, with which his name was long and favourably identified, and his forethought and zeal did much for the Society. In 1886 the Society (secured ten oil paintings and twenty-four water-col-ours by such artists as Nightingale, liichitson, Airs Seymour, Lucas, Nowell, G. W. Joy and others. These were purchased through the good offices of the late Lord Leighton. In 1889 the Society received from the Government the Crown grant of the piece of land where the permanent gallery nowstands. In 1890 the late Air Alountfort, who was a member of the Society, prepared plans and carried out the architectural work free of charge. On November 4, 1890, the doors of the Art Gallery were tlrrown open to the public. The Government made a further grant of land in Durham Street, which enabled the Society to build the ballroom and offices, the cost of whicli was paid by members taking up debentures. These debentures were gradually reduced until the cost of the buildings and pictures was entiroly liquidated. The Society had had many hard struggles to fight, owing largely to the want of money and the lack of interest taken by the general public; but, thanks to the interest of the members of the Council, who had overcome all obstacles, it had been for some time past in a healthy and vigorous condition. Its progress had been of a steady character, and the opportunity the International Exhibition had offered of securing a number of the best works bad been eagerly seized. When the members bad decided to issue debentures, the sum of £'2ooo had been quickly raised, and the Society had purchased pictures by Lucy Kemp Welch, Lord Leighton, Solomon J. Solomon. R. W. Allan, Bertram Priestman, W. Lee Hanky, L. Walker, George Houston and Henrietta Llae, as well as seven miniatures. The Society had purchased this year n small example of the work of the late W. P. Frith and an oil painting by C. 11. East-lake. In addition to the purchases by the Society, the late Sir John Hall had presented two very fine water-colours by Waterlow and Mathew Hale, and Air William Reece had presented two miniatures. The Society had now a net asset in buildings and pictures to the value of £6500, raised entirely by its own efforts, a very great achievement for so small a community. With reference to this year’s work, the Council was decidedly of opinion that the pictures were distinctly an advance on last year’s, there being several large ones of marked merit, and the Society felt satisfied that the progress made by the loeal artists was quite encouraging. The Council believed that the loan collection exhibited last year had done much to cultivate a taste for art. It had taught the public who dead not seen the exhibitions of the Old World to appreciate some of the work of the old artists; and altogether the exhibition, it- was felt, had been of considerable educational benefit. There was one discordant note in this year’s exhibition, namely, the predominance of dark wooden frames. The majority of the Council were with him in saying that they would much rather see gold frames, the effect of which could be bettov seen on the east and north walls. In conclusion, Mr Jamieson expressed the hope that those present had come prepared to purchase pictures, and thus help forward the Society. The pictures were the centre of much interest, being probably more meritorious than those shown at previous exhibitions. It was announced that a large painting, “ Sunny Italy,” by R. Procter, had been purchased by the Society for the permanent collection. Among other pictures purchased during the evening were “ Entrance to an Orange Garden, Capri,” by R. Procter; “ Fine Weather, Foveaux Strait,” by C. R. Howarth; “ Alcay, Spain,” by C. N. Worslev; “ The Smile of a Ngaturaukawo, ' by C. F. Goldie; “ Kapi Kapi. a Survivor of the Tarawera Eruption,” by C. F. Goldie; and “Rio Albfizzi, Venice,” by R. Procter. Tlie exhibition will be open at 10 a.m. to-day, and will remain open for some time. The members’ art union will be drawn on Saturday, and tho public art union at the close of the exhibition.