"SCURVILY TREATED"

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 20, 18 October 1919, Page 5

"SCURVILY TREATED"

Sir,—The ill-treated outniders who send paintings to tho New Zealand Academy of Fino Arts owe your journal a debt of gratitude, since your art critic, "The Lay Figure," has been plucky plough to accuse'the Hanging Committee of their "scurvy treatment" of one of my paintings, which ho points out, "possesses quite conspicuous merit as a scapiece, and should certainly not have been skied." lie <loes not, however, mention the injustice to litf other picture, "A Present From tho Country, which is a far beltor painting, and has been treated quite as unjustly as the other. I ought to bo used to this "scurvy treatment" by the N.Z.A.F.A., for this is the third occasion on which that society has treated me with injustice. The first occasion was when I sent a picture depicting some cows and an old horse, which had broken into' a; field of partlycut oats, and were having a good time in tho early dawn. I called it "A Good Time." Theso were portraits of our own animals, which several farmers could not find fault with. 'When I 6ent it to the exhibition of the above-mentioned society, several years ago, an important member of the society, a professional artist, wrote tho criticism of tho exhibition for one of the Wellington journals, in which he mado very vulgar and offensivo reference to my cattle, saying they wero "fearfully and wonderfully made, quoting the Bible, and adding that they wero "dreadfully out of drawing." Not long after this we wero both sketching in the samo district.- This great artist and critic was painting a large picture ill .which he was introducing some cows in the foreground, and actually asked me to come and criticise them for him, as "he did not know anything about cattle," which was very patent, for his were simply awful. I here had an opportunity of returning the insult, but did not do so. but after pointing out his errors, reminded him of the positive necessity of studying tho anatomy of all animals and birds before introducing them into pictures. I have .often Wondered what he then thought of my ; cattle, but I let him off, not even letting him .know that I was aware -of the fact that he wrote the offensive, and altogether -untruthful, criticism of my picture. Thero wero other members'of the committee who a' c c exhibited their utter ignorance of cattle by making offensive remarks about mv picture. They may, perhaps, have learnt something since then.

But !>nw disgraceful'that such mer.n, small-minded jealousies should exist in the art societies of this Dominion, for I find the samo spirit of jealousy and selfinterest common to each. Not 6oJn Rood old England. There they are "kindly, helpful, and generous, judging only by merit, no Question of "by whom." Of course, we cannot nll'expectr to be placed upon the line, but in all the New Zealand art societies' exhibitions I find good works rejected or skied, and shocking rubbish on the line.

My second unpleasant experience with the Wellington Society was only some ten years ago, when I sent a small picture which had been well hung in an art society, or club, where some of England's best artists formed the committee and exhibited. Several of these gentlemen complimented me upon this little picture. One was a well-known landscape nainter who gained the much coveted gold medal for a landscape in a grc?if Pons exhibition, and that against all the best layers of Europe. This gentleman, a rather severe critic, praised my little picture, and advised mv sending it to the Eoyal Academy, but I was then on the eve o returning to New Zealand, and as _fh» WiolMnirtoii Society were, on m.v irrival receiving works for exhibition, I sent in my little picture, *nd was told that it was accepted, and hung. When I visited the exhibition T- could not find it at first, but fwnlly found the poor little thine i a dark' corner and so closo to the fle" that one had to go on ones knees to see it. Tt was not even hung straight. In'' at an anirle o* about 45 ''""rees," and was not mentioned in the Catalogue. JTo 1 that for treatment of a picture contid. ered by some of England's best artists to be good enough for the Tf.A. ? Since then I refrained from sending to th" Wellington Society's exhibitions, until this occasion, when I hoped thero might now ho men on the committee who were capable of judging tho merits of paintings, and from whom I would get fair play. Instead of Vhich, I am, for tho third time, as vour art critic puts it. "scurvilv treated." I have no _ doubt but what there are upon the line the usual footlin'. tin-pot, school-girl smudges, and the usual brick-red. or anaemic portraits tho latter, most likely.—T am. etc.. G. SHETJUIFF. 218 Victoria Avenue, Wanganui.