ALLEGED ART CRITICISM

New Zealand Times, Volume XLII, Issue 9783, 5 October 1917, Page 6

ALLEGED ART CRITICISM

To the Editor "N.Z. Times:” Sir, —Prav let m© .point out the unjust and malevolent remarks under th© heading "N.Z. Academy’s Exhibition” of your writer in the "Notes for Women" of your issue of the Ist instant concern-., ihjr a portrait group by Mr W. A. Bowrinn Eidmhnd Gosse said this: "The irritability of mankind which easily forgets and neglects 'praise,' hut > cannot forgive the rankling poison of blame, has set upon the word 'critic’ a seal which is even more unamiabie than Vbat of 'criticism.’ It takes, its most savage form in Disraeli’s celebrated and deplorable dictum: "The critics ore those that have failed in. literature and art-’ "There have' been many critics wjio brought from failure in imaginative convpoaition a cavilling, jealous and ignoble temper, who 'have mainly exercised their function in indulging the evil mission of envy, but, so far as they have dime this, thcv have proved themselves bad critics, and neither minute care, nor a basie of learning, nor wide expert-

ence of literature, salutary/as all these must be, oan avail to make that cxiti—clean valuable which is founded on the desire to exaggerate fault-finding and to emphasise censure unfairly." One would ask your critic (?) to read, mark, learn and inwardly digest Edmund Gosse’s remarks given above.—l am. etc., • ■ROBERT TURNBULL. Wellington, October 4th.