FINE EXHIBITION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 26226, 9 August 1946, Page 6

FINE EXHIBITION

OILS AND WATER COLOURS DUNEDIN ARTIST’S WORK Impressive evidence of the increasing public awareness of the satisfaction to be derived from art in its various forms was to be found in the size and enthusiasm of the attendance at a private view of oils and watercolours in the Pioneer Hall last night. The work was that of the young Dunedin artist, Mr Roy J. Dickison, D.F.A.N.Z., and it was of a range and quality that retained the keenest interest throughout an inspection. The catalogue comprised more than 100 paintings, all of them recent work, and all of them sincere in treatment. There was ample confirmation for the commendation expressed in his speech at the opening ceremony by Mr Peter Mclntyre of the quality of Mr Dickison’s subjects in that they were truly representative of New Zealand. The exhibition was one of the most comprehensive undertakings of its kind to be seen in Dunedin for a number of years, and it justified the keen interest of some hundreds of guests in whose presence it was officially opened bv the Mayor, Mr D. C. Cameron. The chairman, Mr A. Ibbotson, recalled that it was two years since Mr Dtckison had staged his last exhibition, in co-operation with a fellow-artist. The paintings in this display were the output of about seven months of intensive work, and the event was undoubtedly one of considerable interest in the cultural life of the city. A Refreshing Technique

Mr Mclntyre spoke in praise of Mr Dickison’s great capacity for work. “The quality of consistent application is a rare one among artists,’ - he said, “ but Mr Dickison possesses it in full measure.” Mr Dickison’s technique was extremely refreshing, and entirely lacking in “-ists .and isms,” he continued. There were traces in it of the Canterbury school, which was the nearest approach in New Zealand to a real school of painting, but there were still more distinct traces that he was developing an individual style. The Canterbury school was to be praised, but the second tendency was to be even more commended. Mr Mclntyre referred to the restful quality which was a praiseworthy feature of the landscapes in' the exhibition and to the fact that they were truly represents' tive of the Dominion, an attribute which had often been sadly lacking in past exhibitions. Dunedin had been the home of some wonderful artists, Mr Mclntyre said, and its traditions in painting excelled those of any other city in New Zealand. It was a happy tendency that the present-day public was buying pictures for their own sake and was taking pride in its purchases. That progress was largely due to the development of education in art. “People are now ashamed to have grocers’ almanacs and the like, which ‘ got by' 20 years ago, in their homes,” he said From an extensive experience in recent years of teachers, students, and schools in other countries, he concluded. he was able to compliment Mr Dickison on a competence in the handling of paint far beyond the usual in one of his years. He was a painter in whom Dunedin should take interest and pride. Encouraging Interest Declaring the exhibition open, the Mayor congratulated Mr Dickison on his fresh, vigorous, and faithful studies of some of the South Island’s finest scenery. He quoted a recent tribute to Mr Dickison’s work from Invercargill. A water colour had been acquired for the Invercargill Civic Collection, and a letter from the president of the Invercargill society stated that "it is clear that it is the water colour of the year.” The attendance there should be an encouragement to any artist, the Mayor added, and he was sure that the interest would be maintained throughout the exhibition. The’ exhibition will be open daily until August 21.