OTAGO ART SOCIETY.

Otago Witness, Issue 2801, 20 November 1907, Page 13

OTAGO ART SOCIETY.

' AMONG "THE PICTURES. THE OIL-COLOUR SECTION: No. 1. The pleasant first impressions gained by a private view of the pictures now being exhibited by the Otago Art Society in the new Art Gallery are confirmed by further inspection. Indeed, there is so much to interest and to charm the lover of pictures, whether in the schools of landscape o* portraiture, flower studies, genre pictures, or still life, and the pictures themselves are so numerous in both oil and watercolour sections that the ' show may fairly hope for a run of popularity. 'Meantime an effort will be made to appreciate the most notable works. Among the local artists (with which, of course, are included the Southland men) there is a long lead roll of excellent achievement standing to the. credit of Howorth, Bollard, O'Keeffe, Greene, Mies Hartley, and others. The name of G. Butler comes pretty frequently in the catalogue, and reminds one that there was a year in which he was a very pillar of strength to the society. His work this year is somewhat disappointing^ No. 43, "An English Village Street," is pleasant, simple in composition, and in a low tone of colour — a few 6heep being driven along the 6treet, which i 6 bordered by somewhat dingy cottages. No. 56, " Autumn," is scarcely happy either in colour or. execution, the whole effect being at once hard and patchy, while the autumnal-foliaged tree in the middle distance is simply colossal. No. 202, " A Misty Night," is singularly devoid of atmosphere, and though a young moon is in the sky and lights gleam from the cottage windows, they fail to ,give any luminous effect. Mr E. W. Christmas has a large picture on the north wall. No. 35, " Valley of the Dart," whioh will find many admirers, especially among people who know anything of our alpine scenery and are in a position to appreciate the beauty and truth of the colouring. The Dart Valley is scarcely an unexplored sketching ground, but Mr Christmas has chosen a point of view which give* freshness to a somewhat hackneyed theme. The light upon the 6now peaks is hard and heavy, but the shadows at the base of the mountain are of a beautiful quality of colour and richness ; while the reflection in the bit of still water and the' relief of the clump of bueh- in middle distance make a wellbalanced composition. No. 38, " The Moorland, Surrey, England." by the same'; artist, is. however, a charming little thing which, in its happy working-out 'of light and shade ' and cleverly-suggested immensity of distance, no less than delightful colouring, will find quite as many admirers. No. 58, " The Burning Stump," merely awakens regret that the stump had not already burnt itself out before *he artist came that way ! No. 150, " The Narrows, 'Milford Sound," is at once curious and unpleasing. the rendering of the dying sunlight on the mountain tops recalling the style of .the well-known American illustrator, Maxfield Parrish. while the huge bulk 2 of black -shadowed cliff in the "foreground is sinister and stagey. .... , , Mr Howorth has two very pleasant and satisfying picture* ,in Nos. 197 and 205. The former. . catalogued; as " A Pastoral Scene," is in a very rich though subdued ! colour scheme. The freedom of a wide horizon is wedded to the intimacy of a homely foreground as embodied in the figure' of the rr.an drafting sheep through a rough gateway into the country road, where the dog 'ies, restintr, vet alert, and the full dark tones of the fitfle belt of bush in the middle distance contrast with the warm tussock and dried o-Vass of the foreground. No. 205. "Stormy Weather," ie as good a contrast as could be desired to "A Pastoral Scene." for here the foreground is a sweep of broken water backed by a big wave tumbling in upon the rocks, crested so high that to the left "but a narrow line of storm-dark 5 ocean shows between it and the horizon, and the line of misty cliffs in the middle distance lea«d6 the vision on to the dim horizon, where the low sky broods over a stormy sea-line. In" his large "Portrait of f Lady. No. 145, Mr O'Keeffe shows a, very fine piece of work, notable for richness And depth of colour in the draperies and background, for the eminently pleasing and cheerful exrresfion of the sitter, and ior the quiet and restrained tone of the whole composition. Mr O'Keeffe also has some small seascapes — No. 9. " Morning i Light," in which a good effect is obtained by bold *nd simple methods; No. 20. "After Rain." and No. 24, " The Second Beach." la all

ot these the artist shows a free style and J an otfecuve sense of natural t colour, so rriuoh so tiiat one the ' absence of "a'ay'mbre finished 'lan3scape work by hi* Lru6h. Mr 'William Greene is well represented both by large and small canvases. Of these -H*j~'aft 'stat-fes* of hor^s. and the critic will be captious indeed who will not "take to" one or other, , of the_ three,.^.Jhpiigh^ pjoh^bly jnogt ,votes* Vi^be^'ca^ inJjtvdßr 6t?.rhJS ?iirigfcl^ool&ag , li^le vhi§s yotty ffr ho ~pefeooifies •■^Jtajtiay" foK^e Road." "Dolly.' ho\ve\er. will be 1 hard run by 66. " A Sleepy Day."' in which a clipped^ bay — a real grafter in working _! hoursj^hoidoubt — drowses -cwi^T hanging bfait ? and} relaxed rpifecfei* fris ahpreciaifccL-Jhou* £ <JjE— itest. .-Of the* Aarger^eaftVases it-'is^qheg", tionable which will prove most pooula;-— fortunately for the artist his distinctive colb-'ir^raits in landfoafee are of a jgußifjt seem to" Jain the ""yJltowSt ten* J of -the walls,. w4?ich robs so many T^orfcs df their life and light. No. 59a is entitled j ** Ploughing in Essex,"' and is a remarkably , pleasant picture, notable alike for drawing ! and competition. While the interest 16 j centred in the two sturdy plough horses • traversing the foreground, the background , of rolling hill and vale and the foreground jof dun-ccloured stubble alike combine to , form a pleasant harmony. The same may ! be said of "Reaping in Bs«ex "" — No. 193 — :n which the drawing of the team as t.hey bring fhe reaper round, turn from the lower ground k exceeding-lv clever, and i brings one back again and yet again to 1 admire iis easy rwli«m. Mr lirce'ie'* 1 composition is an unerring instinct, and h^S 1 colour, if somewhat over-inclined to g'-e.i . ,is restful and exc-eedmelv refined. No. 163. j "Autun;n =n Wiltshire."- is a very pleasant i portrayal of a oeaeeful English landscape, ' in which the amst ha« been content to jni dicate the season >n the beautiful aurumn tints of, the foes in middle distance, au»onj^ •v.hich : the spire of -the. little village chtircu rises,' while beyond (he'e-moke from the village- drifts lazily upwards, and the valley rises to the gentle slopes of the distant hills shadowed by cioui.s.