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

From "COURIER MAIL," "COURIER MAIL," t.) ft t!' TgkE,GRAPH." 7,000 King, Q'Id. see 'lap. art Seven thousand people have seen t h e Queensland Notional Art Gal- lery's exhibition of Japanese woodcis in the lost three weeks. The gallery director .1111. Robert Haines said !tilts today. Mr. Haines said that 300 catalogues had also been sold. The exhibition. which Mr. Haines has described as unprecedented in quality and scale, has been arranged by the United Nations Educa- tional. Scientific and Cul- tural Organisation in co- operation with the Japan- ese Commission for U.N.E.S.C.O. The exhibition closes tomorrow. Mr. Haines said the next erleibition at the gallery would pr,lbably be an "Artists by artists" exhibition. of self-portraits and paintings of artists. Biggest of the year's exhibitions scheduled for Queensland would be an Exhibition of Modern. Italian Art. "It will be on the same scale us the French ex- hibition some time ago. - said Mr. Haines. I in 1953 60:000 people saw the French art ex- hibition at the National Gallery in one month With seven major exhibitions a year Bris- bane people HOW have the opportunity of see- ing some of the wand's tiest art. equal to that seen overseas. This Is because many the major exhibition come from overseas gal lerles. Mr. Haines said th year's Brisbane exhibi tions would include on of recent contempora purchases by State a galleries. which was a present on tour. "There is a big awaken ing of interest in ar now" Haines. om "COURIER MAIL," I R Brisbane, Qld. Woodcuts on show A travelling exhibition of Japanese woodcuts is on show at the Queensland National Art Gallery until I ry 26. It has been arranged by the United Nations Educa- tional, Scientific. and Cul- tural Organisation in co- operation with the Japanese National Commission for The woodcuts are purely Japanese In style and are de, rived from Yenlat0-e, the classsical style of Japanese ipaiming which has deveiope from about the Tenth Cen- tury. The Gallery Director (Mr. Robert Haines) said the ex- hibhitioin quality and s was unprecedented bot "Although reproductions. they are not reproductions of paintings, but of woodcuthts, made by woodcuts in e same way as the original blocks," Mr. Haines said. 20cr i51 Brisbane, Qld. 11 JAN 1,95 Brisbane, Qld. Art review Japanese woodcuts a delight Full-blooded work in s ow of British water colours THE wxhibition of British w at er colours at the Notional Art Gallery will be the highlight of "Gallery W e e k," which starts on Mon- day with a number of exhibitions and public lectures. The 125 water colours represent a comprehensive selection of all important British painters of the last 40 years. The show will be a great experience for all art lovers, and It will provide stimula- tion for local artists. It is hoped that it will draw as many visitors to the gal- lery as did the French exhi- bition. to which this show is really a complementary, as It. too, represents the trends of our time. There is still an idea In people's minds that water col- ours are inferior to oils: an idea which owes its origin to the fact that water colours 4,11. ,,.,-, Brisbane, Qld. New portrait in art panel "Mighty Lnk a Rose," a painting by Dame Laura Knight of a coloured woman and child. is on show on The Courier -Mail art panel for a fortnight. The ainting was recntly presented to the National Gallery. Dame Laura. whose sub- lects vary from theatre to portraits and landscapes, studied at the Nottingham School of Art and first ex- hibited at the Royal Aca- demy in Ma "MORNING HERALD," ;1 Lir, !twine/Ai N.S.W. ART COMMITTEE A P PO I NTED The committee of the Blake Com pc it ion for religious painting yesterday announced the judges for the 1955 coin. petition. the panel sill he: Messrs. Rime!! -dale. James Glee. on. Kober! Hams, the Res. Alan Doitpan, and the Rev. J. P. Kenny. losing date for the 1955 competition will he noon, February IS, at the Eihibilion Gallery of Mark Foy's Ltd., by GERTRUDE LANGER have become so much the medium of the amateur. tint if anything can re- inarnte the medium in its full glory, the present show trill. Although part of it is taken up by the more traditions rather pale and "washy'' type, the larger part is given to expressive and full- blooded work. Technically, lots of It is done In gouache, which per- mits a handling not unlike oils. Jacob Epstein's "Poppies" SPEAKING about full- blooded art, Jacob Ep- stein's magnificent "Pop- pies" comes first to mind. Apart from Epstein, the greatest British sculptors are excellently represented by wash-drawings-Henry Moore by one of his moving war- time shelter scenes, and by drawings of miners; Barbara Hepworth with two works; and Frank Dobson also with two. At its best, the British national spirit In the arts is rather a romantic, lyrical, mys- tical one, and It is enjoying a great renaissance to -day. Our troubled times incite once more the artist to a quest for the unknown. John Piper. Patti Nash. Crahant Sutherland and many among the younger generation who are repre- sented. come to mind. Of the great number of in- teresting work:: I quote some more of the most outstand- ing: Frances Hodgkins' three lovely paintings of which "River Garden" with its ex- quisite lyricism remains the moat unforgettable; John Tonnard's "Nimbus" with its suggestion of the Infinite: Michael Ayrton's tender child drawings: Augustus John 8th Century, and, fin - in the second half of bReyartadni f ul Blackteris BiShawl."rd: to the late masters of Prunella Clough's .emu- chool culminating in abstract composition; duns sal and Hiroshige. Feibush's mural design: Mcninsky's drawings. By CERTRUDE LINGER HE travelling exhibition of Japanese woodcuts arranged by 11.N.E.S.C.O., and now showing In the print room of the National Art Gallery, is wholly de- lightful. The 100 woodcuts are sup- erb replicas (not reproduc- tions in the ordinary sense) and have been selected to represent the most famous masters by characteristic ples of their work. sitor may study the Actual style of each t, and also follow in nological sequence the e development of the neae woodblock print its beginnings with black and white s in the 17th century e enchanting full col- rints from five and blocks created by artists - craftsmen The show will be officially prints represent UKI- opened to -night at 8.15 by re. which has been Mr. Clemence McMillin of the lated "Dear Charles Company. e' which, in the west, -moony means "Genre." Depicting Japanese manners and customs of the time, they have, of course, dis- tinctly national flavour and certain allusions or witti- cisms escape our compre- hension. Yet, fundamentally, the themes are universal. A woman thinking of her lover. Will he come? Another reading a letter (who would not think of the Dutch painters who loved this simple theme?); a lover picking plum blossom for his sweetheart; and then again both share an umbrella, walking in the snow. MUSIC -MAKING in the parlour or sitting by the river In the cool of the evening. The theatre and the tea- house played an important part In people's lives in 'Veda. Some of the best prints are of actors in character and of courtesans in magnificent garments. Finally, the great love of the Japanese people for things of nature, which had shown itself in their art long before Europe ever treated such themes, also found ex- pression in the woodcut. Landscape, flowers, and birds took up much room in the huge output of this amaz- ing and versatile genius Hokusai who alone could fill a hundred exhibitions), and of Hiroahige. 13UT interesting as the sub- jects may be, the main appeal of these prints Is aesthetic. He who only hears the words of the "Lied" has understood noth- ing. What speaks to us in these superlative compositions through a universal language is the pictorial music of line and colour. "As pure design, this body of work is unrivalled In any other country, unless, per- haps by Greek vases." So says Laurence Binyon. We know how much Toulouse Laittree, Whistler, Degas, Van Gogh, and many others owed to the influence of the Japanese print. riue exhibition, which closes on January 26, should not be missed by art -minded people.