THE GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL ART EXHIBITION.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 10674, 14 December 1896, Page 4

THE GIRLS' HIGH SCHOOL ART EXHIBITION.

I The annna! exhibition of drawing and paint- i ings by the pupils and art students of the Otago I Girls' High School took place in one oE the school halls on Saturday afternoon, and the work was inspected and admired by a vecy large number of visitors. Miss Wimperis and | I her assistant, Miss Alves, are again to be congratulated upon tUa class of work shown, I which is not only creditable, bufc generally j full of promise. There are not so many exhibits as formerly. This is due not to any falling off j in the number of students or to any deeliue in J industry on their part, but simply to the foci; j that not so much time, as formerly fan been . devoted to this branch of education. AUtfaoj drawings and paintings are ex»minat:ou work: I that 13 to ssy, the.T have bsec produced under ! tmt conditions—» time limit, and without stMistj ace* or suggestions. Although the quantity of ! work is le»B for the reason already stated, there iis still *. good deal of it, and altogether a ! distinct advance is shown generally on what was ! accomplished daring the precediug year. { The drawings of Miss Ella Adams, who has I taken the South Keniiington elementary i certificate tnd who is now working for the art j teachers' certificate, show a cleameos, firmness, i aud accuracy in a remarkable degreo. The outI line sketching from the ca*t is capital, and she | also exhibits » good specimen of geometrical j j drawing—home work outside the art coarse ! I taught in the school. The Otago Art Society's j I medal has been awarded to Miss Kuth Salmond. ! j The competitive : work wm judged for the j society by Miss Margaret Rtchatt, who gave j j the seoond award also to Mies K. Salmond, j not knowing that it was dona by the Kama hand, j To such » guarantee of excellent drawing it is j needles* to add anything. An uncommonly i difficult snbject—the drawiDg of sriskas from a j t c»3t —has been exceedingly well handled by Mies !

Jeisie Stewart; »nd there is a'good, sample of point work by Mias Nelly Gibson. The expreisive outline work by Mis* Mary Hartley and Isabella Nooaes is decidedly good, and less cannot be said of a drawing from the cast—a lion by Miss R. Salmond, aud of grapes by Miss Haycock, the shading in the lattar being very joftand delicate. A "Shorthorn's Head," by Mary Smith, is creditable, but is marred by a a line of darker shading right aoross the face, possibly resulting trom tbe use oE a defective drawing boird. Mias Greenslade's drawing of pears from the cast, and Miss E. SI. Shand's " Head of a Lioness " are also very good specimens, and give evidenca of natural talent aud careful tuition.

The paintings in oil are numerous, and ia bo way inferior to the other exhibits. Miss Bella Patrick contributes quite a number of pictures of Tery considerable merit. A lur^e painting of rich golden broom blossoms in wa old vase is really very good, but it is nearly if not quite equalled by her torch lilies and primroses, and is excelled by her "hydrangea," which ia probably the best painting in the room., One stilllife study which has been painted from different aspects by a number of the students consists of a rosary, an old book (open), a candle and candlestick, and an embroidered cloth on a small table. This has been artistically reproduced by Miss Fanny ' Cousfcqn, Mies Statham, and Miss Goldsmith. Mias Statham's flower painting is also very fine, the japonicas, lilacs, and peony rose* being all greatly admired. Mi«s Ramsay is likewise successful in painting peonies, and Miss Goldsmith with pansies, wallflower, and laburnum. A very delicately and skilfully painted spray of. carnations ia shown by Miss Couston, and very good work is apparent in Miss Hepburn's wallflowers, Misa Ulrich's stock, Miss Goldsmith's " arrum " lily. Miss Coos'on'a marguerittes, and Mins Ramsay's rhododendrons. Of figure drawings from life there are a number of .very good specimens, the best being by'Mies Adams, Mis? Statbacu, Miss Patrick, and Miaa Emery, and, as is invariably the case, thoao who had taken aged subjects have produced by far the most effective pictures, whatever the relative artistic merits of the works may be.

As we have already stated, the work throughout ia of a high order of merit for students, and the' pupils themselves, their teachers, parents, friends, and all interested in the success of the Girls' High School, have reason to feel gratified at the results secured in the art department of the school during the past year.