STARVED OUT.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXXII, Issue 9995, 16 March 1910, Page 4

STARVED OUT.

The poor encouragement given to artists in Australia is the,, subject of an article of exceptional interest by the London correspondent of the "Daily Telegraph." Most of the Australian artists who are making a living in Europe, and there are more of them than one might think, attend an annual banquet in London. The correspondent says that all present at the last function evinced feelings of yearning towards Australia, but none of them spoke definitely of going , back there. These men began their careers by painting bush and seascapes in Australia. Ambition and want of encouragement drove them to the Old World, where they paint Thames bridges, English country scenes, and corners of Venice. The

individual Australian note is lost. At an exhibition of the work of AuscralI ian artists held the other day in 1 London, one saw canvases just like j those at a dozen other exhibitions of the work of living painters. "The I only Australian pictures I saw I there," said a visitor, "were the large photographs loaned by the j Agents-General." Most of these sue j cessful Australians have a vague idea of returning some day, but how many will do so? Mr bertram Macennal, who has reached the front rank of sculptors, looks forward to the day 1 when we will be able to work in 1 t Australia. But with work in sight ' , for years ahead, what are the chances of Mr Macennal returning? Austral- ' ia certainly does give some eneour--1 j agement to art. She has art schools, 1 and she buys good pictures abroad, J but there is not enough money spent J on art to support the Australian who * is talented enough to make a living . in the fiercer competition of the Old 3 1 World. "The bad, unpalatable fact 3 j is that Europe is kinder to Australian artists painting strange scenes in a 1 strange light, than is Australia to her * own artists painting in their native ' environment.'' In short, Australia encourages a person to become a * painter only to find that no one wants 1 to buy his pictures.