ACADEMY OF ARTS

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIII, Issue 10100, 14 October 1918, Page 7

ACADEMY OF ARTS

ANOTHER LOOK ROUND WATER-COLOUR SECTION. Prominent in the water-colour section of the Academy of Arts exhibition are a number of telling sketches by men at the front. The most prolific of these artists “somewhere in France or Flanders’’ is Gunner W. R. Johnson, and next to him comes Nugent Welch. Gunner Johnson shows a very fine study of the ruined “Cloth Hall Tower, Ypres.” and another of “Neuve Eglaiso Church”: his “Winter in Flanders” is also very good. “Bringing Down an Eheniv Observation Balloon,” though very realistic. is somewhat spoilt by the hard edges of the clouds. Nugent Welch prefers more peaceful scenes, and his “Billot in. France,” “The Major’s House. Village of S-,” and “A French Cottage” are very pleasing sketches of fine old French cottages. “Ruins near Rouen,” by M. Duportal. is an effective bit of work, showing very good colouring ; and “Honplives Church, near Armentiercs” (E. Murray Fuller) also deserves mention.

The beautiful colouring and hold technique of C. N. Worslev are represented bv several excellent, examples, the best of which are “On the Olive Slopes, Lake Garda.” “Yorkshire Uplands,” and “Market Boat, Bake Masgiore.” “A Maori Ruin. Rotorua,’ “Taheke Rotoiti.” “To Weta Rotoiti,” and “The Store Ship” are fine, characteristic sketches bv E. W. Paynton. W. Monzies Gibb exhibited a number of pleasing landscape?, among which mav he mentioned ‘.‘The Southern Alps from Cashmere, Christchurch,” “Cosmos Peaks, head of Lake Wakatipu.” and “The Edge of the Bush. Pigeon Bav.” His seascape “Taylor’s Mistake. Canterbury,” is also noteworthy.” “Off the Lizard,” my Charles Dixon. R.M.T. (lent by Mr J. S. Swan), is a wonderfully good sea picture, the dark blue sea of which is marvellous in colour and movement; the two vessels instinct with life and the grace of motion, are clearly depicted by one t lr Toughly conversant with matters nautical. “On Motutapn” (F. Watson) is well drawn and restrained and restful in colouring. “Bracken in Springtime,” by H. M. Hawker, is an effective piece of work; and 6. H. Garnham’s “Otira Gorge” is particularly good, the rushing water of the rapids being admirably depicted. “The Rocks. Nelson,” bv the same artist, also deserves mention. “Last Rays” is a pleasing sunset scene by G. W. Bradley. “Buoys at Honfleur, Normandy” (M. Duportal) show T s clean bold colouring, and is very effective. The colouring of A. L. Haylock “Coaling” is also very good. 1 Columbine,” by F. K. Robinson, is a big, broadly-wrought picture of a clul dancer which cells for mention. A number of charming fairy sketches—- “ Little Piper,” “Butterfly Dancer, and others—are shown by . Violet elson; and her “Pas Seul and the Revellers” are also beautiful bits ot work. “Little Allan,” by H. Linley Richardson, R.8.A., is a speaking likeness of a round-faced, bright-eyed, very liveable-looking little fellow. In “A Wet Night,” an original lithograph in four colours, by the same artist, the city lamps and tho lighted shop windows, with their broken reflections m the rain-swept street, are wonderfully well depicted.’ A stormy sea, tumbling in great masses of foam and sheets of spray over huge rocks, is very spiritedly’ pictured by O. H. Howarth in his “Heavy Sea, Omcroa Bluff. A I sea, not merely in motion, m great commotion —no “frozen sea is this. “The-Mill Pond, Swansea, Dorset” (0. Hay. Campbell), a peaceful village scene, with quaint old stone buildings reflected in the pool, deserves a meed of praise,; and so dofes *“ e strong, effective work sbown in T. A. McCormack’s picture, “Rooks." Some striking studies of A\hitby fishing boats, and a number of pleasing landscapes are esKibited by R. Herdman Smith. M. O. Stoddart ib iuso a prolific exhibitor, her best work being, perhaps, “The Old Orchard and “The Turn of the Tide.” The fruit.blossom in the former is especially effective. A fine study of big rollers, with appropriate background of cult and sky, is to be seen in A. E. Baxter’s “Lawyer’s Head, Dunedin.’ “Sunset Glow,” by Nina Jones, calls for a word of praise, and Noel Bartend shows a number of land- and seascapes, among which may mentioned “Boats of St. Ives.” Carctui drawing and fine harmonious colouring are found in “Near Cairo,” “The Fife Hills,” and “A Wooded Upland,” by Archibald F. Nicoll, S.S.A;, who seems equally at home in watercolour and in oils. “Memories” and “The Favourite,” by M. E. K. Tripe, must be awarded due praise; “A Grey Day” (Cecil F.' Kelly) is distinctly good, and so are his fine seaside studies, “The ■ Ebbing Tide” , and “The Beach.” “Middle Harbour, Sydney/' and the Garden Path,” by Mabel Hill, are very effective, but eomewhat lacking In finish. “Autumn,” her best work, shows very good colouring. Several fine views in the Otira are exhibited by E. Bartley. A. E. Baxter’s "A Creek in Otira,” water 'tumbling over big rocks, is very good. “St, Andrew’s Church, Wellington,” goes to show that there is a good deal more colour in the windy city than most citizens aro aware of, and W. H. Pratt’s “Wellington Harbour from Kolburn” is a beautifully-executed moonlight scene. “Unloading s-s. Kauri” is the best of R. K. Richmond’s several pictures. “Balloon. Hay,” by Vera Eichelbaum, is very well drawn and coloured; “Scots Fishing Boats” (James Balfour) is very effective ; and H. R. de Castro shows very good work in “Late Autumn, Nelson,” and “Nature Resting, near Estuary, Invercargill.” Excellent studios of roses and violets are exhibited bv A. Paul, Mrs Rollo Fisher, and M”. C. Packer. “A Clear Morning, near Blenheim,” by Ethel Grady, and “Morning, Dallington,” by E. M. Munday, arc also very pleasing. In tho black and white section, H. Linley Richardson, R.8.A., is represented by a' very fine etching, “Wellington from Kolburn”; Alfred Coffey’s etching of n “Buttress ami Pinnacle, St. John’s College, Sydney University,” deserves special mention,, and ho also shows .very admirable work in “Old Bridge, Mosmah Bay, Sydney,” “Bottleand Glass Rocks, Sydney,” and “ThoWinding Crock.” A con pie of pen, ami ink “Studies of a Cart Horse’’ by Flora' Scales are very good; and Eircnn Mort is entitled to a meed of praise for her

etchings, “Pont de Sucre, Bruges,” and “Abbaye do St. Bavon, Ghent.” In the sculpture section, in addition to J. Ellis’s admirable portrait bust of the president (Mr H. M. Gore), already referred to, the bronze “Hound iu Leash,” by B. C. Dobie, calls for mention; and very creditable plaster busts are exhibited by Ethel F. Gyles and Margaret Butler, the latter of whom also exhibits a pleasing “Sea Nymph” in plaster. In the pottery section, Lena Williamson, and in the jewellery section, Anne F. Darby, both of whom show excellent work, are the only exhibitors. Some very fine miniatures are exhibited by Mrs 0. A. Westbury-Hughes/ C. H. Barton, and Mrs R. Wpllwork; and two pleasing silhouettes are shown by Doris Collins.

The Art Gallery will he open to-day from D a.m. till 5.30 p.m., and in tho evening from 7 till 9.30. Mr Johannes C. Andersen will give a short address at 9 p.m. on “The Relation of Painting jto Poetry.” Catalogues and tickets ’in the art union to be drawn at the close of the. exhibition are on sale at the entrance.