ART IN AUCKLAND.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21159, 16 April 1932, Page 13

ART IN AUCKLAND.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS.

ADVANCED INSTRUCTION.

REQUIREMENTS OF SOCIETY. Two aspects of t to future of the. Auckland Society of Ar s, tho achievements of its working members in tho production of original works, nd the development of a love of fine ar:s by honorary members and the gener il public, were stressed by the president, Or. E. B. Gunson, in an address to members yesterday.

Thoro were two directions in which tho society could ielp working members to develop their art, said Dr. Gunson. They were by affording working facilities under helpful cond tions, and by sponsoring the sale of their works, in both of which tho society had been active from the outset.

Although it had never been the policy of tho society to provide systematic art instruction, it wa ; i a legitimate matter for inquiry by the council as to whether adequate art instruction was available in tho city for working members, he said. Recently such instruction had not been available. Ho had every reason to bolieve, however, tlat if representations were now to be n ado by the society to tho board of tho Elam School of Art, arrangements would bo made whereby working members could receive advanced instruction either in painting or in modelling. The r.gid system which was in operation at the School of Art had recently been modified to the extent that the director might admit to part-time instruction paying sudents for advanced courses on three davs a week.

In his opinion what might be called post-graduate instruction was essential to

art progress in Auckland, Dr. Gunson continued. There was a consensus of opinion among members of the council that much of the work submitted for selection from 'timu to time was notably weak in drawing. When it was recalled that Leonardo himself, one of the great draughtsmen of all time, spent 14 days on the drawing of one head alone, it was no reflection to stress the importance of this requirement, and to reiterate the need for artists to get down to hard work on the fundamentals, a need which called also for skilled instruction such as an art school could best afford.

Concurrently with such an arrangement with the Sciiool of Art, another possibility might le explored, an arrangement whereby working members, in class, might receive instruction from one or more of the leading artist members of the society. In the;e two ways the interests of working members would be considerably advancer. and the standard of work appreciably raised. The Auckland Society had definitely committed itself to the support the scheme, for the establishment of a University Fine Arts block, as a desirable development of the art interests of the city. Dr. Gunson added. It was proposed eventually to locate the University Fine Arts block and the city gallery on the Old Grammar School site in Svmonds Street. As the University could not give the Auckland Society a permanent tenure in its own right, arrangements had been made whereby accommodation for tho society would be provided in connection with the city gallery portion of the site. The Elam School had also applied for recognition in connection with the scheme, to the extent that it also should be located there and continue to function independently.