ART IS MANY THINGS

New Zealand Listener, Volume 19, Issue 492, 26 November 1948, Page 7

ART IS MANY THINGS

Some comments on five fécent Auckland shows written

for ‘The Listener’ by

A. R. D.

FAIRBURN

when Auckland had one art exhibition a year, under the umbrella of the Society of Arts -an annual bean-feast at which the dead level of conformity was relieved only by the work of one or two timid "revolutionaries." We are becoming more used to the idea that art is diverse; and we are beginning to realise the need for the formation of groups with common sympathies, as well as for the maintaining of the central meetingground provided by the Society of Arts. ( + woe it seems, are the days Within the past month or two there have been five shows in Auckland. First there was the Rutland Group annual exhibition, which as usual contained, a substantial body of good work. There is no doubt about the talents of the Rutland painters, nor about their achievement, which has been considerable. Collectively, they have advanced the standard of painting in Auckland many notches ahead of that which obtained twenty years ago. In their

recent exhibitions, however, a certain sameness has become evident, a _ tendency to be repetitious. In October a new constellation appeared in the heavens-an _ association of ten. artists calling themselves the "New Group." Their first show was held in the Auckland Art Gallery. Here again there was evidence of very good talent, working this time within fairly circumscribed limits. The emphasis was placed strongly on draughtsmanship -and, to be honest, when I took a first glance round the walls I had the impression of being in the senior life class of a first-rate art school. It is a good thing that some emphasis should be placed on solid draughtsmanship; and the "New ‘Group" will supply a useful element in the pattern of diversity that is (one hopes) being established. Opportunities and Dangers Some of the members of this group are on the.threshold of their careers. Others are painters of many _ years’ experience. If the Group can help a young artist of such remarkable promise as Peter Brown to develop his talent,

it will justify its existence. Brown is, I think, a painter of quite outstanding ability. If, however, the "programme" of the New Group is allowed to harden into dogmatism and produce a rigid orthodoxy, it may easily catch some young painters as flies are caught in amber. The formation of other groups, with equally serious intentions, but with quite different aims, is necessary if this danger is to be avoided. It is unfortunate that the Fellowship of New Zealand Artists, another group exhibiting at present in the Auckland Art Gallery, shows such little promise of fulfilling this function. Some painters with natural talent are to be found among the members of the group; but the works shown are for the most part dull and inconsequential. There is a great deal of sentimentality in the choice of subjects,- and very little evidence of any understanding of the nature of art. I cannot imagine the Fellowship providing a seed-bed for any new and- important, developments; nor can I imagine that any young artist will gain by attaching himself to it. Of the paintings exhibited I remember most clearly a large portrait of a . bullock (head only), which. seemed in a vague way to be a symbol of the. whole exhibition. However, if people like painting pictures, and exhibiting them for the benefit of their friends, there is no earthly reason why they shouldn’t do so. We must be tolerant. I think the policy of the director of the Gallery, in throwing it open to exhibitions of all kinds, is entirely praiseworthy. (Kipling, you will remember, somewhere "thanks God for the diversity of his creatures.’’) Talent’ and Vigour Another show that has aroused some interest is the one held by D, Knight Turner in the Society of Arts rooms. _ (continued on next page) J,

AUCKLAND EXHIBITIONS

(continued trom previous page) This young artist is entirely selftaught. His work shows evidence of a considerable talent, and of a good deal of native vigour-although he has much to learn about design and colour. I hope that circumstances will allow Turner to devote himself to close study. He is, I think, the makings of a good painter. The Adult Education Centre in Auckland has provided a useful demonstration of the need for diversity by showing a collection of prints from the New York Muséum of Modern Art. It contains reproductions of the work of artists as different in their intentions as Picasso, Klee, Rouault and Ben Shahn. Others represented are Mondrian, Dali, Chirico, Rousseau, Seurat, Gauguin, Cezanne, Grant Wood, Orozco and Braque. Many of these are, I suppose, merely names to the New Zealand public; and some will never have been heard of. The Adult Education Centre is for that reason performing a very useful service in putting on this show. What is Modern Painting? There seems to be a very general assumption that "modern painting" is something with as fixed and definite characteristics as, say, "modern lawn tennis." This excellent cross-section of modern painting will quickly dispel the illusion. We see here a number of men doing completely different things. The annotation of the show, which is very good indeed, makes this point clear. There are, for instance, sub-divi-sions in the arrangement of the work"Critics of Society,’ "Mystery and Magic," "Dream and Fantasy," "The Religious Spirit," and so on. Simple

explanations of the artists’ intentions are printed beside the pictures. — Altogether, the Museum of Modern Art has done an expert job of presentation. The book, "What is Modern Painting?", that goes with the exhibition contains a fuller exposition that is extremely valuable. I suggest that those people who are puzzled by "modern art," and hold long conversations about it, might get hold of this book and read it before distressing themselves any further. Two points, among many others, emerge. The first is that the painter, like the poet and the prose-writer, is fully entitled to use metaphor without being accused of insanity. (The "representational" heresy has been a. straitjacket to art, and the painters in this exhibition are among those who have escaped from it.) The second point is that there is no need for us to demand of every work of art that it shall "touch eternity," or put us "in tune with the infinite,’ in any of the sentimentally inflated ways in which such phrases as these are used. If a painter is expressing genuine emotions with truth and intensity he will not be doing badly. The meaning of life is to be found in simple and quite ordinary experiences as well as in the great allegories and "set pieces" of religious mythology. And there are many modern paintings that would prove less difficult to understand if the observer would relax the furrows on his brow and realise that the artist was trying in a light-hearted way to "have a bit of fun." Beauty, Eternity, Divinity are matters we should approach with some caution. We have no right (nor is there any need) to expect them to be served up at every meal with a sprig of parsley. -EEEE =