BUSINESS GIRLS’ CLUB.

Manawatu Standard, Volume LVII, Issue 216, 12 August 1937, Page 12

BUSINESS GIRLS’ CLUB.

“ART AND HUMAN EXPERIENCE.”

The speaker at the fortnightly luncheon of the Palmerston North Business Girls’ Club, which was held at the Jade tearooms yesterday, was Dr. F. H. McDowall, of Massey College, whose subject was “Art and Human Experience.” Dr. McDowall remarked, at the outset, that he did not speak with any authority on his subject, of which he had only a spectator’s knowledge, but despite his assertion he held the interest of his audience throughout. Life at its best was very short; many of our days and years were spent in humdrum occupations, and often but little occurred to disturb the even tenor of our way, said Dr. McDowall. To everyone life brought something of pleasure and sadness, and we had friends of various degrees. Most of our human society was a means of passing the time pleasantly, and wc could only be touched deeply by people who understood us —all of us by nature were reserved and reticent about ourselves except to our very intimate friends. Therefore, for most of us, our actual experience of life was more or less confined.

A real artist, proceeded the speaker, was one who bad something to say and was able to say it. Most of us were poets to some extent ill our feelings, but an artist must be able to make someone else feel what he did. There were two types in all forms of art: The jrersoii who must talk and therefore must find something to talk about, and the person who had something worth saying for which ho must find expression. The latter type were the real artists, and had a way of filtering the gold from the dross. The great artist had something which lie must find the means of saying. An author might not write about himself, but when he wrote sincerely, he wrote himself into his works, inevitably and irrevocably, all genuine art being sincere. A work of art in any form was an expression, conscious or unconscious, of the artist’s experience of life, liis vision of it or attitude towards it, and by a careful study of these works of art we were able to make personal friends with the artist, and to conic nearer to him than probably most of bis eontemporaries or friends. An artist might bo reticent in his ordinary life, but he revealed his soul in his art.

Life might be humdrum for us, but the realms of art gave us access to the groat minds and souis of the ages and the opportunity of deep and lasting experience. For we who were the tourists there was always the feeling that we were- not having that experience alone. Two were company, and he always felt when he was looking at a picture that lie was doing so with the artist beside him,’ said the speaker. Art was a treasure house of human experience, and so there wasj no need for any of us to find life humdrum. By studying real art we could find things which would “flash upon the inward eye and be the bliss of solitude.” “The world is so full of a number of things that wo all ought to be as happy as kings,” quoted Dr. McDowall in conclusion. Mrs A. E. Mansford (patroness) presided, and she thanked the speaker. Among those present were Mrs M. H. Oram (president), Mrs Id. Palmer and Mrs M., Aitchison (vice-presidents). Visitors welcomed were Misses A. Nicholl and E. Klee (Wellington), and Mrs Prebensen.

A motion of sympathy was passed with Miss M. Peters in the loss of her father.