THE ART SOCIETY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXII, Issue 19124, 16 September 1925, Page 9

THE ART SOCIETY.

Sir,—The statement which has been issued by the conncil of the Auckland Society of Arts, if it makes for a more cordial entente among local artists, will be welcomed by all interested in the progress of art in the Dominion. Tha conncil in its anxiety to raise tho standard of work at the annual exhibition, has somehow or another committed itself to a policy which, it is to be feared, nobody but itself, and in many quarters has made it disliked and mistrusted, so that instead of being a protecting and fostering institution the society has become a kind of Spanish inquisition, which by fell methods tortures and pnts to death its innocent victims. In its statement the society explains and defends .its policy, which, however, it does not pro-, pose to amend in any way, though in its apologue it gives very lengthy reasons for its actions. . Ignoring Lord Beaconsfield's advice tho council both explains, and complains, but docs not touch the root of the trouble, which is the lack of confidence felt in the ability and judgment of the hanging committee by local artists. In fact there are many artists in the district who .would as soon think of submitting their work to a policeman on point duty in Queen Street as to the council of the society. This may be plain', speaking, but it is common knowledge that many well-known professional and amateur artifts in the province do not submit works for exhibition and, under present conditions, are likely to remain as outsiders. The statement would be more convincing if it, did not bear the impression of individuality and so many evidences of a complacent self-satisfaction with a disregard for the feelings of members. For instance, in par. 3 there is a cheap and exasperating sneer at working members; some of whom it is asserted persist in sending in work "year by year which it is quite impossible to accept, judged by any reasonable standard whatever." What right has the conncil to make a. general imputation which involves indirectly every working member and lays them open l> the suspicion that "year by year" they try to force their worthless rubbish into public view? As a working member I think par. 3 is in deplorable taste. One could wish that less stress was laid 011 the alleged need of making money for the society. By all means let there wise and vigilant finance, but is the work being done by the society in any way commensurate with its wealth and resources? On the contrary, there seems to be a desirei to hoard money, accumulate assets and a tendency to allow resources to remain unexploited so far as art is concerned. The council may have been inspired by excellent motives when it issued its statement, but obviously it means to go on as before with its of a cut-down exhibition (largely fade up, by outside exhibits) and rejec; iions. It is apparently quite s hed wth itself and qui*® indifferent as to wha