THE NEW ART

New Zealand Listener, Volume 19, Issue 488, 29 October 1948, Page 5

THE NEW ART

Sir,-"The climate of art is hard, and its rigours are salutary. If the spectator refuses to share these-he runs the risk of demanding that his art be easy’ and good for nothing." Thus Mr. M, T. Woolaston in your issue of October 8. IE do not think it is so much a matter of refusing, as of ‘nability to shareinability due to lack of temperament and training. Take the sketch portrait of "My Mother" reproduced with Mr. Woolaston’s notes. A large number of people will probably regard this as a crude attempt at portraiture, My own impressions-for what they are worthare that it is surprising that the artist, by means of two black blobs and a few lines, can convey a sensation of life and an expression of contemplative attention in a human face. The clasped hands, suggested with extreme economy of line, also convey an impression of repose, I cannot say that I admire the short slanting lines of the mouth, The artist’s skill is demonstrated by making so little convey so much. The sketch has the "distinct, sharp, and wiry bounary line" considered by Blake to be as essential element in good art. But it seems to me that modern art is too prone to fix just one transitory aspect of a subject and the ordinary beholder has an uncomfortable feeling that this specialisation borders on caricature. Beauty, like Truth, has many aspects, and each succeeding generation of mankind seems to pick on this or that aspect and emphasise it as of primary importance. As understood by the Pre-Raphaelites truth to nature was exact and precise detail; they painted leaves with almost botanical accuracy. The Impressionists, on the other hand, ignored detail, went in for broad and general effects and were accused of just flinging colours at a canvas and signing it. Walter Sickert dropped having his ‘patrons for more than one sitting and asserted that photographs from many angles and by different lights provided him with all he needed to obtain a pef fect portrait. In these days, when intellectual and cultural. barriers are down and the human spirit is battling in a kind of vortex, we need not be shocked if art in all its various forms provides us witly some surprises. They will be interesting subjects for the contemplation of future generations.

J. MALTON

MURRAY

(Oamaru),

More letters from listeners will be tound on page 16

LETTERS FROM LISTENERS

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