ISM NUDE RUDE?

NZ Truth, Issue 685, 27 July 1918, Page 5

ISM NUDE RUDE?

• + Pietists and Prudes Perform HULLABALOO IN HOLY HOBART. Norman Lindsay's Book Banned as "Inclecenti" Taemanian Trustees Taken to Task, The old vexed question, "Is the nude riide?" haa been raised again by the action of a little clique of Hobart wowsera m banning, -a book of Norman Lindsay's ct rawing from the Tastnanian Public Library (Says Melbourne "Trill h' 1 ). It appears that the Books Committee, composed of small shopkeepers who are prominent m Methody circles, decided m their wisdom that the book -Was' indecent, and they would have none of it. When the matter came before the Library Trustees later on, two broad-minded men — Mr. Morris Miller, a lecturer at the University, and Mr. W. A. Wood*, a Labor journalist who was formerly Speaker of the Tasmanian Parliament— strongly condemned the ignorant and intolerant (lotion of tha committee; but their voiaes woro drowned m the eho?u« from the wowflors. "The book is indecent," said Mr, W. U, Williams (chairman of the committee): "it is not fit to ba on tha-shelves of any library," "The drawings are not fit for qhildren to see," cried Mayor Shields; and so on all round, the tablo. Mr. Miller pointed out that they were not trustees of a Sunday school library, but of A .NATIONAL LIBRARY, and they should look at such matters ftfrom a national point of view. The committee's decision, he said, showed that it was incompetent to choose books for the library. This naturally raised the wrath of the' wowsers, and they were not appeased when Mr. Woods pleaded with them not to become "too ir rrow-minded or wowserish." It is the nature of a wowser to be "wowaerish," and so the Holy Hobartians banned the book with one accord, leaving Miller and Woods m a minority of two. The committee's atupld action has been applauded m tha press organs of. the wowsers; but it has excited disgust and derision m artistic and literary circles, and among intelligent and educated people^ generally. "Truth" was naturally anxious to have a look, at this terrible book, which so stirred up a hornet's nest m Holy Hobart. Anything that the wowsers condemn is usually worth seemg 1 , and this is no exception to the rule. A copy of the book lies before. 113 as we write; but the closest inspection fails to reveal anything indecent — unless STUDIES IN THE NUDE are necessarily indecent, which no intelligent person would contend. The book is a special number of "Art In Australia," and is entitled "The Pen Drawings of Norman Lindsay." The editors of "Art m Australia" are Mr. Sydney Ure Smith, an artist of repute, and Mr. Bertram Stevens, a wellknown literary man. The publishers are the well-known firm of Angus and Robertson, Ltd., of Sydney. One does not associate "indecency" with such names as these, and a. closer search still fails to reveal anything 1 that could offend anyone who is not a narrowminded purist. The book contains a brief preface by the editors, an informative introduction Dy the eminent artist, Mr. Juiian Ashton, and an essay on "Norman Lindsay: His Inspiration and Technique." m which Lionel Lindsay 'gives some interesting biographical details concerning his gifted orother. The rest of the book i 3 devoted to reproductions of fine examples of Norm3n Lindsay's work m pen and [ ink. These reproductions are themj seSves works of art, and reflect the highest credit on the engravers and printers. This is the more gratifying, as the book is AN ALL -AUSTRALIAN PRODUCTION from first to last. Now let us look at the book again to find out, if we can, what has aroused the wrath of the wowsers. The volume contains 61 plates m all. For the most part these are illustrations to various classic books — Rabelais, Boncficc'.o's "Decameron," the "Idyllis" of Theocrltua and Moschus, the "Satyricon" of Petronius, the poems of Vi'lon, the "Memoirs of Casanova," and Congrevo's plays. Other authors represented by illustrations are Tom Hood, Francis Thompson, Dulcie Deamer and Leon Gellert, whose war poems, "Songs of a Campaign" were published only this year. In most of these pictures there is nothing that the wildest wowser could object to, either m subject or treatment. They are illustrations, m the best sense of the word, m which the ideas of the author are bodied forth with a spirit and breadth of style which will surprise, as well as delight, those who know Norman Lindsay only through his deplorable work m the "Bulletin," with hia weird cartoons and the blowsy females of his social sketches. (None of his "Bulletin" work is represented m this book, for which we are thankful.) "In one or two of these illustrations A NUDE OR HALF-NUDE FIGURE is introduced; but m every _case this springs naturally from the text, and is not dragged m for his own sake. Very striking are the illustrations to Villon, with their glimpses of old Paris. It is when we come to what may be termed tho "pagan pictures" that we see what causes the wowsers to wowse and weep into their whiskers. Norman Lindsay is a modern pagan, and m these pictures he represents the pagan ! attitude towards life, not only m the essential spirit, but even m such ac-. cessories as the fauns and satyrs. he is so fond of drawing. Outstanding examples of his work m this genre' are: "Police Verso" (now m the Melbourne Art Gallei'y), "Dionysus" and "The Scoffers" (both of which are conceived m the same spirit as "Pollice Verso"), and "The Crucified Venus." The lastnamed is, we think, the most impressive piece of work m the book. The picture represents Venus being nailed to the cross, while parsons, priests and puritans are cheering' the crime. No wonder the wowsers are wild! Especially as Venus is clothed merely m her customary garb of "plain air." If Lindsay had PUT A PETTICOAT ON HER, or a pair of corsets and "combinations" (as m those awful advertisements m the "respectable" daylies) he might have got away with it; but we doubt it. The wowser objects to the nude as such, and no amount of restraint or delicacy of treatment will reconcile him to the sight of human flesh. It is the wowser's bitter complaint that human beings are not born fully clothed; but he does his bost to offset Nature's ' oversight m that respect. It is true that some *of those who preach the gospel of "art for art's sake" at times lay themselves open to the reproach of prostituting art for pruriency's sake; but; , ttmt reproach cannot; -justly be levelled;'. against this book -of -Norman .{Lindsay's. Indeed, 'inMtfefce? the bes"t£ i specimens of his drawings^ £Ljnd§ay sliqw.s a -restraint, even' m "Tilif Treatment of? the. nude,, which is^requently^ waning »jn hisT-m'ore eph'Gnfel>al':pr'bdu\w vtioris. 'jSfrjm-ttoi,' can. only conclude that ; tlfestferiflble -T^isiiranian" Trustees have ! baTmed JijtKis'jbO.ohru-beeause they are ; wowsers, 'and, as such, resent any revelation or representation of the human form divine. They belong to the same class as Peeping Tom of Coventry, who probably considered Lady Godiva *'ln--deceiit"' when she rode forth "clothed only with chastity." To the pure, all things are pure,; but prurient prudes see "impurity" and "indecency" everywhere.