COMIC ART.

Manawatu Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 2526, 6 January 1923, Page 1

COMIC ART.

AN INTERESTING INTERVIEW. IS BLACK AND WHITE ART DECADENT IN N.ZJ

(By “Phiz”)

Black and white art has always provided a rich vein of enjoyment for the laughter loving public of Australia and New Zealand. We, in the latter country, while we can derive satisfaction from the fact that we have given several brilliant men to the world, can find nothing to enthuse over in the class of comic art now being produced in this Dominion. Certainly humourous line work has never been at such a low ebb in N.Z. as it is at the present: day. Only three or four men can be place'd as producing anything worth while, and, for the remainder, they are as yet very much in the amateur stage. The only brilliant man we had recently has been Tom Glover, of the “Free Lance,” who has been appropriated by the Sydney “Bulletin” to not as their Melbourne cartoonist. Glover is a distinct, loss to this country. lie earinclured Mr Massey almost as well as Mr David Low caricatured Mr Hughes when he was associated with the “Bulletin” a few years back. Now that he hits gone there is a splendid opportunity for another local man to step into his shoes and take the. lend as the foremost cartoonist of the Dominion.

Although the shortage of good comic artists is not so apparent on the other side of the Tasman it cannot be said that the cartoon and caricature work now being produced for the Australian papers is anything nearly as brilliant as it was in former years, in fact Australia never seems to have <|uite recovered from the blow of losing David Low, the one time Maoriland artist who is now making fame and fortune in London.

The point arises here —have the newspapers and magazines 01. Australasia given sufficient encouragement to the aspiring black and white man? 1 cannot say they have. Too much importance is placed on the name of the artist and not enough on the genuine ‘merit of the contributor. The modest beginner must submit something of: outstanding merit before his work i/ even considered. But there I must give credit to one paper at least that is out to encourage budding talent. This is “Aussie,” which claims to give an open field to every artist and writer too, in Australasia. Thai great good lias resulted is proved by the fact that this paper has made several “discoveries” in - Australasian art and literature. The mimes of: Syd. Miller, P. Litchfield and Roy Agnew may lie mentioned. In the forthcoming N.Z. section in “Aussie” N.Z. writers and artists will be given a chance they have never had before and that alongside names already well known to the public. Such encouragement of talent must have an important bearing on the future of Australasian art.