FINE ARTS ASSOCIATION OF NEW ZEALAND.

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 7222, 18 July 1884, Page 6

FINE ARTS ASSOCIATION OF NEW ZEALAND.

The second annual exhibition of this association was opened on Tuesday in St. George’s Hall. The association has since its foundation made considerable progress, and the collection of exhibits at present on view in the hall is creditable to so young an enterprise. The arrangements of the hall have been carried oat very successfully by the - hanging committee, who have disposed the pictures, &c., entrusted to their care with great judgment and taste. The collection is entirely composed of specimens of work with the pencil, brmb, and camera, and affords in excellent example of what amateur work can produce. It is not our intention in this issue to give a detailed account of the works of art entered by exhibitors ; this will form the subject of another article. Suffice it for the present to say that the catalogue contains a list of names well known in connection with various departments of art, and that the whole collection of pictures is one which is very well worth several visits of inspection. The exhibition will remain open for a week. The opening ceremony took place yesterday afternoon, at 3 o’clock, when, at the invitation of the president (Mr Beetham), the exhibition was declared open by His Excellency the Governor. Notwithstanding the disagreeable weather, there was a very fair attendance of

ladles and genfc’crnon, and the hr.ll was visited (Living the afternoon and evoninj by a goodly Lumber of vLit irs. On the arrival of His Ex-C'-llency, the Br-aMout uddrrs=ed a few rernvtks to those present, saying it wou'd be obierved trial there was a great improvement ou the exhibition of last year. Their only regret was that the room was barely large enough. The want of a more convenient aud mutable place had boon felt, and Tiis Excelha icy tho Governor bal himself initiate.! a movement in this direction of providing mure suitable accommodation. He alluded to the circumstance that His Excellency v/us a Contributor to t‘;G exhibition.

His Excellency said : Ladies and gentlemen,—l assure you 1 Lei sincere pleasure to be present at tho opening of such an institution as thi», I may remark that this is tho fifth art exhibition which I have opcnel during the very short period I have been in New Zealand. That is at the rate of one about every three months, and it is not at all a bad sign of the progress of art in New Zealand. I certainly wish, with your president, that there was <•» better gallery available for an art exhibition in Wellington, and X hope that some enterprising people will put their bauds into their pockets, ah no distant date, and provide a more suitable place. I have not gone into the financial aspect of tho matter, but I believe such an institution could be easiiv founded, and it would not be such a bad paying one. Your President has alluded to ruy contribution. lam afraid lam an unworthy contributor, for my recollections of painting and drawing are rather ancient. However, having a little time when I was going about the Sound recently, I tried to refresh my knowledge. lam afraid that the result is not very meritorious. X was glad to see in Auckland at a recent exhibition there so many excellent works of art, and I have no doubt I shall see equally good works at this exhibition. I am sure that when one looks at the drawings of such gentlemen as Mr Gully, Mr J. C. Richmond, and others, New Zetland has reason to be proud of iu art. His Excellency then declared the exhibition open.

The following is a list of the prize-winners : Class 1 : Shaded study from the round, open to students throughout New Zealand—No. £3, Noses, by W. Hamilton, Canterbury College School of Art. Class 2 : Outline study from the round—No prize awarded. Class 3 : Landscape from Nature, in oil colors—No. 209, view on Dun Mountain-road, by B. A. Branfill, Nelson. Class 4 : Laudacvpe from Nature, in water cobra—No. 223, Mount Aspiring, by W. F, Barraud. Class 5 : Landscape in monochrome—No prize awarded. Class 6 : Flowers or fruit, in water color—No. 180, New Zealand flowers, by Louisa White, Auckland Class 7 : Flowers or fruit, in oil colors—No. 193, study of Gurucystus flowers, Miss Alice Holmes, Wellington. Class 8 : Animals, from Nature—No prize awarded. Class 10 ; Handpainted scieen—No. 243, Winter flowers, Miss Jessie Moorhouse. Class 11 : Architectural drawing—No prize awarded, Class 13 : Handpainted panels—No, 201, Poppies and Lilium* auratum, Mrs Stowe. Class 14 : Two pieces decorated ware, plaques, vases, &c., handpainted—No. 261, two Vases, Miss V, Ansley, Auckland. Class 17 : Landscape photographs—Nos. 325, 329—A. T, Bothamley. Class 18 : For students under 20 years in Wellington and district, shaded study from the round—No. 105, Busk, Miss M, Page, Normal School. Class 20 : Monochrome landscape from Nature—No. 231, the Port, Nelson, Master E. A, Christie.

This exhibition is attracting a good deal of attention on the part of the public, and the interest taken iu it augurs well for tho future success of tho institution. The pictures are, aa a collection, highly creditable productions, and although in some instances they are hardly up to exhibition mark, they show, on the whole, a decided improvement aud advance upon those of last year. The class containing the largest number of exhibits is that devoted to water-color landscape drawing, and the catalogue here contains a number of well known names. Mi J. O. Richmond, Mr C. D. Barraud, Mr. W. P. Barraud, Mr N. Barraud, Mr J. Gibb, Mr Gully, and others are all to the fore, and send a collection of pictures which call to mind the walls of the Dulley Gallery. No, 54, a twilight scene, in which Mount Cook forms the prominent feature, is from the easel of Mr C. D. Barraud, who has in this picture, according to our opinion, surpassed any of his previous efforts. In it he has achieved—what is very difficult to arrive at in water-color painting—an almost perfection of aerial perspective ; aud the lights ou the snow clad mountain and the shades in the foreground are manipulated beautifully. Two pictures in the immediate neighbourhood of the above, numbered 49 aud 56, are from Mr J. C. Richmond’s brush, aud at once command attention. The latter, a quiet evening study, is softly and artistically treated ; the former, a scene ou the Collingwood goldfield, being an equally admirable piece of brushwork. No. 41, from Mr Noel Barraud’d brush) is a quiet little moonlight scene ou tho Derwent, Hobart, aud ia a pretty piece of coloring. The first prize in this class has been taken by Mr W. F. Barraud, with a view of Mount Aspiring, Tho exhibits in oils are not so numerous as those in the last mentioned class, and are, as a whole, not of so advanced a type. There aie, however, amongst them exceptions here and there, which, although lacking some of the boldness necessary to produce a really high class work in oils, are very satisfactory productions, Mr B. A. Braufill, of Nelson, has been awarded the first prize in this class for a view ou Dun Mouutain-road—a picture which is principally deserving of commendation for tho foreground work. No. 137, by Mr W, J. Gibb, ia a pretty seascape, in which is depicted a homeward-bound ship casting off at the Wellington Heads. In our opinion the best work shown in this class ia No. 157, from the easel of Mr C. Bloomfield. It is a pleasant bush scene, with a winding corduroy road, the ferns and other foliage being beautifully treated with correctness of detail and great truth of color. No. 196, “ Waikawa/’ Victon, by Mr E. C. Wyvill, is a good bit of coloring. No. 203, by Miss K. Ridings, is a thoroughly good piece of bru-’hwork, tho foreground being especially well treated. There are ou exhibition two lent pictures, by aa English artist, which are worth hours of study—these are Nos. 123 and 141. Amongst the best studies ia the crayon department, besides the head by Mr W. Hamilton which takes tho first prize, are a bast by Miss N. Page, in which the detail is beautifully, softly worked, and aspectmen of shading from the round by Miss L, Bradbury and numbered 69 in the catalogue. A copy of the statue of the Venus of Milo, by G. O. Gilmore, is another specimen of excellent drawing. An interesting exhibit in this department is a design showing the comparative heights of the principal buildings in the world ; this is shown by Mr O. J. Toxward. In the photographic department the number of exhibits is small, but their quality more than makes up for any deficiency iu quantity. In this class Mr A. T. Bothamley, whose artistic work ia well known, takes the first prize. Hand-paicted screens, plaques, and panels, with painting on silk, satin, and velvet, occupy a considerable amount of the visitors’ attention. Amongst this collection are some exquisite pieces of workmanship, notably a pair of panels exhibited by Mrs Stone, and a four-fold screen painted with hydrangea, gladiolus*, passionflower, and honeysuckle. There ia a wonderful piece of workmanship exhibited by Mr E, B, S. Mercer whose handiwork it is. It consists of a model of a large house elaborately constructed of perforated cardboard, and is a monument of ingenuuy aud patience. It is to be disposed of by art union, The exhibition may be considered to be a perfect success from an artistic point of view, and the management are to be congratulated on the result of their ifforts, no less than the artistic amateurs on the result of their' labors.