Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 1 : Presscuttings, 1959-1962

Front "COURIER MAIL" Brisbane, Qld. a Brisbane, Qld. A preview of the controversial FRENCH ART Exhibi- tion with Courier -Mail art critic Gertrude Langer. She says : A sensitive person will understand THE ,painter goes .1 to nature Jar suggestions, but the harmony he builds upon this basis is the :cork of his imagina- 1 only," said the great painter Delacroix more than a century ago. It would be well to re - ember thes .1 words when entering the Exhibition of French modern art at the National Art Gallery. Since the close of the 19th century, artists of all lands have come to rely less and less on nature, and more and more on creative imagination. The presem exhibition represents is selection of rennet that has beets vital end significant in French Art in the last fifty years. and all we see is expres- s! ' tic, mensimbetrart and purely filagree,. tt is not descriptire, but m tttttt - and thought-provoking art. It will be noted that many of the painters are not natives of France. But France is spiritual mother to gifted hildren of many lands. They adopt her, and she adopts them. he heart has to speak HE arrangement of the pictures is excel- lent. One passes easily from painting to painting as those of similar character are kept together. On entering, we are con- fronted with the beautiful Rouaults, which lead us into the realm of the supernatural and mysterious, the right mood also for Chagairs dream world. These are worlds in which logic has no validity, and in- tellectual explanations lend us nowhere. Here our heart has to speak. Turning to the right, we come to Matisse, Derain. Utrillo, Dufy, Vlaminck, and others, who take suggestions from Mother Nature on the basis of which they build pure harmonies of colour and line. Simplification serves to ar- rive at the most expressive or decorative solution. Matisse, now in his eighties, is the most revered anti lov- able of this group of painters. One must not be misled by his seemingly child-like simplicity. It it the result of a process of elimination in many preliminary studies and of a sophist!. ratios, concealing all efforts. 'rake the Seascape of Cap d'Antibes: What n miracle of concentration on essentials, comparable to the Chinese masters of the brush! How wonderfully colours and cur- sive rhythms suggest the voluptuous breezes and soft sultry atmosphere of n Med- iterranean summer drrv! The Vlaminck still fifes are superb examples of a power- ful brush and an unfailing colour sense. In the Surrealist Section 1 found little to interest me. by GERTRUDE LANGER Tanguy. Max Ernst, and Miro now live In the United States, which seems to prove that some surrealists have a good grasp of reality. Marchan's "Spring" is a superb example of the purely expressive and decorative use of colour and line as it Is found in Etruscan and East- ern art. Surrender to rhythm AMONGST the semi- abstract and purely abstract paintings, which include the work of two generations, there is much which should create a lasting impresaton. The high standard of these works-technically as *ell as in all other respects-Should win over many people yam had been prejudiced against this form of art probably be- cause they had seen mediocre. examples. Personally, I find it hard to understand how any sensi- tive person could remain un- moved by the haunting beauty of the two abstract paintings by Soulages. All one has to do is to surrender to these magnificent rhythms as one does to music. As to Manessier's "Sleeping Harbour." no naturalistic painting could better mood peaceful, tranquil mysterious. Abstract art is a testimony of the freedom of the human spirit. It gathered ' momentum after the fall of Nazi rule. And It Is' here to stay, at least in countries where the freedom of the individual is respected. Reasoner The more the common aspects of what is called "reality" are brought home to us by photography. film. and television, the more tired one gets of this bombard - merit with "fact." The sensitive amongst us will long for a revelation of the hidden aspects and the inner meaning of things. Also, the more emphasis there is on the material side of life, the more, in opposition, great artists will be esoteric and spiritually orientated. You may angry get - THE bay to the left of a the entrance shows examples of cubism by Metzinger Braque. It is a pity that this eminent painter is so poorly represented by this early work, and Villon, who gives us a very lyrical and personal brand of cubism. There are also the two Picassos which will make people very angry, and may- be this Is Picasso's intention. In the central room arc the "MAIL" Brisbane. Old. WHAT'S ON TO -DAY The French modern art Exhibition will be open from 2 pm to 5 pm at the Queensland National Art Gallery. lovely tapestries, amongst which the one designed 10 also paintings by Leger a Lurcat holds place of honour Pignon, and others. .hut lastly, Ire must not for. gel to mention Ike modern "Primitives." These un- tutored moment who ram bine the freshness of a childlike vision and feeling with n natural gift for de- sign will win the hearts of people here as they have its other Iamb. The Exhibition will be opened to -night by the Con, sul-General of France (M. M. J. Straus:it, and will re- main open until May 8. It is hoped that the people of Brisbane will make the most of an opportunity such as is not likely to occur again for many years. J "COURIER MAIL," Thoughts on French art SCINTILLA11140 excitement, giddy con- fusion. rioting emotion re- volvinn and in the atmosphere to dev...;:ve into individual pictures. Each pic- ture is different in subject, yet all have the emo- tional key. All U1'e power- fully masculine with no ex- tepilon, In my opinion. None Is gentle. They reveal the thoughts of our devastated civlbsutfon after destructive wars and its wild desire to expre, the terrible emotions which pos- sess the souls of the percep- tive at the direction our help- less stream of humanity is flowing. It is a cry for help. God alone can bring us back to a true desire for pence and brotherly love, and until we have this renaissance of re- ligion we will not have a renaissance in art and u re- turn to gentle faith and a sense of true security. But one nu t.1 concede Modern Art tell:; the truth about the age-it is the spirit of our times Lind part of our being if we belong ourselves to the present.-Dorothy Mc- Phee, Carmody Road, St. Lucia. DISEASED ! a sensitive enough fel- low, but I'm darned if I understood the expressionistic. abstract, and semi -abstract French art that Ger- trude Langer lauded so fulsomely1C-M, 10/4/53). Most of the exhibits reminded me of the product of diseased and deranged minds. As for abstract art being a testi- mony to the freedom of the human spirit, some of it could easily have had a more mundane origin. ie, the out- come of nn artistic stomach ache, bad temper, a plain everyday hangover, or sheer untrammelled stupidity. To search for hidden meanings in meaningless creations is a pure waste of !Am.-John L. A. Sethi, Spring Street, Valley. DISGUSTED ! I ENTERED the Gallery's doors with an open mind, but came out disgusted. I have always felt that art is a thing of beauty. I must confess that I did not find very much beauty. To my mind, the painting by Jean Miro, which was entitled "Spring," as well as being hideous. was obscene. - K. Drew. Oxlade Drive, New Farm. EXCELLENT ! THE, beauty of Ow colour must be seen to be be- lieved. With a few exceptions I thought the paintings ex- cellent. I found the whole exhibition most satisfying.- Mfrs.) Irene Alexander. Dud- ley Street. Sherwood. 'COURIER MAIL," Brisbane 21d French art Queensland National Art Gallery staff on Saturday will start a seven-day "opera- tion" to prepare for the modern French paintings exhibition. The 118 paint- ings will arrive in Brisbane by rail to -morrow from Sydney. They are expected to draw record crowds to the gallery. The exhibition will be open from April 11 to May 8, For the first week. exclud- ing Sunday, the exhibition will be open as an experi- ment at night from 7 pm to 0.30 pm, "COURIER MAIL," UT at the State Gallery's French art show, over the week -end, a Brisbane society matron walked up to the tapestries . She looked hard at the fabric: turned to her companwn "All, beautiful." she trilled knowingly. "1, It oil, or water-colour?" * 11d. 4 APk 19S-) "COURIER MAIL," 1 5 A P' 1953 French art rus Qutthisland National Art Gallery in the first four days of the French art exhibi- tion has sold 1800 catalogues for n return of 070. The exhibition still has 24 clays to run. Yesterday's nnenditnce of more titan 1000 brought the total attendance et the ex hibition so far to 11,550, TELEGRAPIi, THUR.. APR 16, 1953. 4rt exhibition At the French art exhi- bition I looked more than once at the painting "The Orange Bodice" and failed to find it attrac- tive. I for one prefer. not iimhtmares of the mind 'nit the inspiration of the imart which speaks to the mind. --0. VANCE. Ashgrove.