ART AT THE EXHIBITION

Otago Witness, Issue 3755, 2 March 1926, Page 26

ART AT THE EXHIBITION

THE ART GALLERY. XIV. To addition to the forms of etching which have been described, there are several other allied orafte, similar in process or result, a few—and only too few—examples of which are to bo seen in the Bla and White rooms. The process employed in the production of a lithograph, which, as the name implie.' is a drawing on stone, is to all intents and purposes, the same as that used in the production of an etching, except that a block of stone is used instead of the copper plate. It will readily be seen that the difference in the material used has a direct effoct on the result. Whereas in an etching one looks for fine lines, and contrasts of light and dark, i- a lithograph we have an absence of ilnes, a* d soft, blurred tones which suggest the pencil or charcoal drawing. A comparison of Charles beautiful lithograph, “The Toilet” (No. 66, Room H) with the very softest of the etchings in the same room will readily show this characteristic difference in texture and qualities. The two similar subjects by Ethel Sabain are equally good examples of the possibilities of the process, but beside Shannon’s poetic feeling they appear a little matter-of-fact and commonplace in spite of their excellent composition and draughtsmanship (“The Striped Petticoat” and “The Toilet,” Nos. 65 and 66, Room H).

There are also the two magnificent colour lithographs by Spencer Pryse “The Fisher, men” (No. 60) and “The Madonna of the Factories” (No. 69, 100 m H). / colourli’hograph is obtained by the use of two or more stones—one stone for each colour, exactly as in the more mechanical forms of reproduction, which are so well illustrated in the printing section of the Briti h Court. Spencer Pryse has a great r«- tation as a lithographer and designer of posters. His work during the war for the benefit of the Red Cross and for propaganda purposes, and since the war for the railway companies is too well known to need comment, and it is a great pity that more of his work could not be shown. In “The Madonna of the Factories” we have a beautiful and dignified composition reminiscent of th? early Italian paintings, but essentially modern. The wood block “Woodcut”— is another form of the craft which has its own essentia] characteristics and peculiarities, but unlike an etching, which can look very lake a pen drawing, and a lithograpn, which can look like a charcoal drawing, a woodcut will never look like anything but a wood out. The reason for this is that, whereas in drawings, etchings, and lithographs the lines and tones which form the composition are the things which receive attention and are worked upon; in a woodcut it is the spans between the lines and tones which are worked upon. To put it plainer, in an etched or engraved plate, the printed line is an actual incision in the surface of tho plate But in a woodcut the printed line is that part of the surface which remains after the background has been cut away. It is this peculiarity which makes a woodcut quite distinct from all other forms of printing. It also has an added distinction from the strength of black, due to the fact that very fine lines are impossible owing to the groin of the wood block. The wood generally used is that of tho box tree, which has been known all the world over for centuries for the closeness of its groin v oh almost resembles that of ivory. A very small tool, like a gouge is used to remove the ground, and an examination of one of the woodcuts exhibited will show the tool marks from which a woodcut ol :ins its character.

Many artists, in carrying out a piece 01 work, will attempt to imitate in ono medium the characteristics of another, and imagine that they gain additional credit for doing so for their “cleverness.” They forget that true cleverness lies in the power to master a medium and to retnu. its own peculiarities. But no aitist couU. ever make a woodcut look like anything else, and that is perhaps why so few practice it and yet it is .a very interesting and fascinating craft which gives most attractive results. As an example, let us consider tho two works of Sydney Lee which hang one above the other in Room G—“ The Gatehouse” (No. 83) and “The Limestone Rock” (No. 84). Tho former is a small simple piece of wood almost a sketch, but it has a dash and vitality about it as if the artist thoroughly enjoyod cutting into tho wood and knew exactly, and without bothering, where every cut was to go. This is, without doubt, the most characteristic example of a woodcut s own. But in the larger work, one feels that tho artist has gone a little astrny, because he lias attempted to reproduce

some of the effects of an engraving. It is too careful, and yet not caroful enough. It lias neither the looseness and playfulness of the woodcut nor the severity and rciined beauty of the real engraving (which is seen so well in the maguificeut set of bookplates by L. F. Badeley, which bangs below). This criticism, which is perhaps a little technical, in no way detracts from the picture's merits as a decorative composition, but on feels it would have been better as an aquatint, perhaps. Aleo Buckles shows some very fine little woodcuts, which are i.uite frankly decorative and have much of the quality of tapestry on a very small scale. His work is well worth studying, not only for the delicate cutting of the natural and other details, but for the subtle, underlying sense o! h- :r:our. The woodcut has always been the medium for tho man with the playful mind. This is strangely lacking in tho work of J. F. Greenwood which is almost grim and threatening, with its succession of horizontal and vertical lines. In the prints by C. W. Taylor one sees the value of large blacks, provided they are well designed. The “Southend Pier” (No. 78, Room G), although nearly all black, is full of light, because the artist has managed to convey the effect of luminous shadows by the cunningly placed lights. In Room H are some examples of colour woodcuts. As in colour lithography separate blocks have to be used for each colour, but in these prints only one block appears to be cut as in a woodout, and this forms the basis or outline of the picture, the remaining blocks being used flat or graded tones and colours. This can be seen in the “Port of St. Tropez,” by John Platt. The first block is cut to pri- *■ all the detail of the picture—ships, masts, ropes, figures, distance, etc. Another block is then used for the tone of the water, the ink having evidently been “wiped” on the block, as explained in relation to trick wiping in etchings. A third block has then been used for the small patches of red. The same process can be followed in “Birds in Flight,” by E. W. Scaby (No. 72), a very beautiful print in the manner of the Japanese, the originators of the process. In the “Edge of the Wood,” by Noel Rooke (No. 74), only two blocks have been used, both very simply out -one feels almost too simply. The introduction of a third colour might have helped a great deal. But the effect of the glow cf light in the leaves by the supposing ,of the two colours is very fine indeed. The print of “Stonehenge,” by W. Giles (No 73), is a little baffling, but evidently is carried out entirely by “wiping” the ink on the blocks. Some very fine prints by this artist are shown also in the British Court (British Industries Section). It seems strange that in an exhibition of this kind so few drawings should be shown, but what is lacking in quantity i» compensated for in quality. Students of life drawing should examine the beautiful drapery study by Randolph Schwabe (“Portrait Study,” No. 67) in which the radiation and leaf-like effect which always happens in drapery on the human figure, and which is so often over-looked, has been so thoroughly appreciated. There is in this drawing nond of the haziness and “muzziness” (intended for “atmosphere”) which one so often sees in life drawings. Students of the life should “get down to it’ ajnd make definite statements about what they see. Mention has already been made of the magnificiont “Willow Pattern” drawing by Anna Airy (No. 59), but it is a drawing to which one could return times without number, without ever tiring but always finding some fresh interest.