ART EXHIBITION

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXXI, Issue 21875, 10 August 1934, Page 14

ART EXHIBITION

BRITISH COLLECTION DISCUSSION OF PICTURES MR. A. J. C. FISHER'S LECTURE The first of a series of lectures on the exhibition of contemporary British art now being held at the Art Gallory was given last evening by Mr. A. J. C. Fisher, director of the Elam School of Art. The exhibition is organised by the Empire Art Loan Collection Society. The lecture was <?f an informal nature and the speaker illustrated his remarks by reference to six of tho pictures. "The aesthetic quality is most pronounced in the young," said Mr. Fisher, in discussing how pictures should be appreciated. "However, outside influences are brought to bear 011 the child, and as he grows up be is influenced by materialistic ideals, such as moral and political forces. In this manner the viewpoint of the adult is prejudiced." The exhibition contained good, bad and indifferent works, ho considered, but the good work was such as to make it really outstanding, especially in New Zealand, geographically remote from centres of culture.

An amazing sense of vitality was the dominant feature of Augustus John's "La Duchesso do Graumont," the first picture discussed, and this was one quality which placed the artist head and shoulders above other portrait painters of his day. Another feature of John's work was his fine sense of construction, but he gave himself licence to depart from this occasionally in order to accentuate certain traits. The portrait also was a good example of showing depth by tho sensitive use of gradation.

This was even more evident in Sir William Orpon's delightfully humorous group, "A Bloomsbury Family." This was painted during the best period of Orpen's lifo as his later work was more superficial, and although the artist acquired more tricks with paint, his work became less profound mentally. In contrast to these two naturalistic paintings was a landscape composition by John Nash, entitled "The Canal," a design based on the artist's conception of trees in general, and his experience of nature. The much-discussed modernistic work, "The Chess Players," by William Roberts, was not a picture of a particular game, continued the speaker. Rather, the artist used the human figures as symbols to convey an impression of what he felt. The other two pictures discussed were a drawing of a woman's head by W. T. Mornington, which was like the work of an old master, and Matthew Smith's "Flower Piece." The exhibition is becoming more popular as time proceeds, and the lectures, which are given at 7.30 p.m. from Mondays to Fridays, are expected to provo very popular. Last night there was an attendance of about 100. The speaker this evening will be Mr. P. Redwood.