NEW ZEALAND ART.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 20099, 1 December 1930, Page 4

NEW ZEALAND ART.

PRAISE FOR LOCAL SCHOOL. i A VISITOR'S IMPRESSION. "In Kew Zealand :ts in Australia tin reaction of artists scetns to bo more to the landscape than to the human element, which is a contrast to the general trend in England," said Mr d'A. Boxall, Dip. Art (London), a visiting artist, ivho aeted as critic at the final exhibition for tlio year of the Canterbury College School of Art Sketch Club on Saturday evening. "I imagine a continuance of this trait in tito work of younger artists may bo duo to the preponderance of landscape paintings at the annual exhibitions of the Arts Societies, which lias become a kind of tradition. "Thern seems to be a tendency to go into the countryside and sit down lo transcribe a certaiu bit of the landeoapo on to canvas, instead of having beforehand an idea which one wants to express, and making studies, which will lator bo brought together to give form to that idea. When young artists habitually spend their vacation iu the country they will naturally tend to make it the subject of their work, but there is no reason at all why they should neglect tho varied expressions of human life that they find there. Figure work is often tho best training for landscape painting. "Here and in Australia an artist seems to bo labelled 'flgura painter,' 'landscape painter,' and so on, but in England ho is simply a painter and can apply himself to any form. There is 110 reason why the limitation should be ro pronounced. Examples of tho English artists adaptability are to be found in Wilson Steer and in Augustus John, who, even when painting in the country, occupy themselves with the life that they lind about them.

A Remarkable Scliool. "For a place like Christchureh I consider that the School of Art is very remarkable, and fortunate, both in its Director and in its equipment. It i 3 merely up to the students to show that they are capable of taking advantage of the opportunities afforded tliein. .So far as landscape is concerned, the students' work shown to-night compares favourably with that on tho other side of tho world in similar sketch clubs—and I consider these clubs important, as they show what the students will do outside of their routine work. As I have said, there is n sad lack of figure painting and figure composition." The competitions for the evening, which were judged by Mr Boxall, resulted as follows: Bet of six sketches: Miss P. Aluns. Junior (design for lino-cut): Miss Betty McClymont. Senior (silhouette): Miss Josephine Mayo.