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

From "TELEGRAPIr Brisbane, Q1d. 111EVIII or .% One of Brisbane bent known artists cited last night He was MI' \V. C. Orato. Mullunby. lOnnion,1 Avenue. Nundali lie was a life member of lite Royal (.4ucensiand Art Society and one of its early treastirers. a nu tuber of the Darnell Fine Arts Committee of the University and of the Advisory Board of the National Art Gallery Mi. Orant was also a num- ber of and exhibitor with the Victorian Artists' Society and is represented in the Queens - and National Art 0-..liery the Ititnell Collection .old many pro, all Cuilcei "POST" Melbourne ST:.. In his upstairs studio, Rees has his waterfront view, with Sydney away in the far background. ARTIST Lloyd Rees is a renowned Australian pointer - but he can't bear to see any of his pictures around his house. "I get rid of them as soon as I can," he said this week. "Pri- vate galleries in Sydney dispose of my paintings, and I am happy to see the works of othee Australian artists around my walls. I can't keep looking at the product of my own toil." Rees, who won the £1000 awarded by the Commonwealth Government to commemorate Jubilee Year with his landscape "Sydney, 1951," lives in an artist's dream home, designed by himself, in Cliff Road, Northwood, Sydney. Set amongst trees, rockeries, lawns, :aid fish ponds, it commands a view of the Lane Cove river, Sydney Harbor Bridge in the distance and Sydney city be- yond-"the city I have studied and have loved." Says he. "I chose the subject 'Sydney, 1951' for the competi- tion because I felt it was a summary of Sydney as I have seen it for many years. The final result was my impressions of Sydney as it is this year. If had to do the subject next year my Impressions would have changed, and the subject would have been different." Mr. Rees said landscape artists had a slight advantage in the competition because they would be painting a sub- ject in any case. But figure From "COURIER MAIL" Cairns, (11d. -Tr.,,. :rant , loss to art IN the sudden death of 1 Mr. W. G. Grant Q land art hos lost one of its biggest cham- pions. Mr. Grant died at his home, K111'11011(1 Atcnuc, Nundah. For many years he suc- cessfully exhibited with his wife. Gwendolyn Grant. His work is represented in the Queensland Natloust Art Gallery. the Darnell Collec- tion, and many Australian private collections. He was a life member 01 the Royal Queensland Art Society. a member of the Queensland University Dar- nell Fine Arts Committee. and the Notional Art Gal- lery advisory board. He was born ht Brisbane and studied art under the late Godfrey Rivers. An accountant by profession, Mr. Grant was employed for more than 50 years with J. C. Hutton Pty. Ltd. He is survived by his widow and a son. Mr. G. R M. Grant, and one dau ter, Miss A. Grant. - - 04 'SYDNEY 1951' 9 This is the picture that won first prize for artist Rees . . . called "Sydney, 1951." The landscape earned artist critics' high praise. painters, sculptors, and others had first to look around for a subject which interested them, and had a limited time to finish their entry. REES was one of seven artists invited by the Jubilee com- mittee to enter for the compe- tition. There were two figure painters, William Dobell and Ivor Hele (SA.) ; a mural painter, Charles Meere; a sculp- tor, Lyndon Dadswell; a stain - glass artist, D. Taylor Kellock (of Melbourne) ; and two land- scape painters Hans Heysen and Lloyd Rees. Mrs. Rees was even more jubilant than her husband over the .C1000 win. "It will help to- wards our long-awaited trip to Europe," she said excitedly. He has visited Europe, but his wife and 16 -year-old son, Alan Lloyd, who is In his last year at school, have not. The three will sail at the end of this year or next for Europe for their long- awaited tour at the expense of the Australian Jubilee gift to artists. Rees lectures in art at the School of Architecture at Syd- ney University three mornings a week, and that leaves him every evening - and lots of time - for his painting. He has strong opinions about present-day art trends. "While there has been a breakdown in academie. standards I think the present day Is a most exciting Picture Rees is note at work on forms the back- ground for this portrait of him in studio. period for an artist," he says. "We are experiencing a tole- ration of viewpoint and expres- sion never known before in Australia. There is a change in attitude. Modern art is criticised greatly. Fifty years ago art schools taught along specific lines. That made things easy and brought highly accom- plished painting along limited lines. "The present is an age 01 great freedom and adventure, but I can't take sides with those who want to wipe out the past even in Australia." "A fOrnial painter paints what he knows, an impression- ist is concerned only with ap- pearance," he said. And hobbies? "At 56, I'm too old for hobbies apart from keep- ing the garden in some sort of shape. In my young days I was keen on cricket and I still fol- low it from the grandstand." Most important prizes Lloyd Rees has won include the Wynne prize for landscape last year, and the Godfrey Rivers prize by the Brisbane Gallery. He was also one of four Aus- tralians awarded the Paris Ex- position 1937 Medal. "In this Commonwealth Government prize, sponsored by the Plastic Arts Committee which was convened by Charles Moses, I was extremely fortun- ate," he summed up. "But if the prize gets out family their long-awaited trip to Europe, I will be a happy man." JOHN BOLAND. The Australasian POST, September 27, 1951 19