Queensland Art Gallery Presscuttings Book 8 : Pressclippings, 1977-1981

our limitations • Ill • grasping reality JN Man's at- tempts to come Lo ,:rips Wi h l'CHIII y by way of p c r - cepllon, ln tellectua l lnvcst'lga tlon a n d Intuition, ArL lln s a l– wnys been a potent aid. 'J'he \'f'Xin~ c1urst1on "Whil l ls reulit,•" h as a long hlstor)'. 111ict In our srJentlflcnlly "' ac•1•11nr·ed er& we hnve brcome . .aware m01·e patnfull)' of :. /iilr llmltntfons In fmdlng •l'I!" answe1·. ~ ._:;, ~ollsm 111 A1t ellowa 0 :I[OI' hlllll)' COIII\OU!tfons. ,:... 1'he present rnulll•nR• tlonsl cxl1lhlllon \IL In• elude, Austrnijnns nlsoJ "R•allly . and Illusion" offers m•nr uhn,llei1gcs. T h e exh l b!Llon la s1rend o\·er three ,·crrnes: • ,iii• with Dr. Gertrude Longer qurr11~l1111d Art Grt llt•r~·. which .-hm\'R 1hr bulk. rns!11u1r of ~todrrn ,\r1. whl<'11 ~l1nw:- n ~1111111 IJul hn pirt.1111 pnrt . nnd Cir– le Art Ci.tllrry, whrrr t ht.'re 1s one puim lng of gur:111otir 1-lze hy pop pu1ntrr Wessrh111t1111. Clrnllem.!C'J',-; 011 R. con– repurnl l<•rcl are Inn Hurn. who lll11strn1es ~ys- 1,Pma tkully the ext~lll lO wl1!rh comprchrnslon 1s in fluenced hy lt11e111ton nnrt e~;pl!rtnllon : Jo~erh K uMII h. hy J11x1 npo.~lng R re n I slraw hro11111. n photo nr it. 1111d a dk- 1 ton a r ~ 1 r1cr!nilion or bron111, po1J11.t; fll Lh(' llm– iuu lon!i or sub.st !tutes ror the renl. Ji o we r r r. the great hulk nr the ~, hlilll . Is c1rdh'Rlf'd to llOll-i nt C'l'– J)l'el:11,lrr. reprt'~t•n 1J1- 1io11al n,•all ..m :tnd to vb lr r l I\'(' doc•t1 11JPII Inl !on. Pu lnti ng.-,, ~C'llll)lUl'N,. drn wlncf. photO!:!rnph. nnrl :-lTC'Cll O\ fl lll S nre 111- 1'111drd. Tl1" 1mlnters. 10 prr – !if'l're llWIH)SI rtct;1r.h111ent. mO!-.I l~r hR.Sfl then· works 011 1>hntn~raph.~ , most lr 111kc11 by lhelll.{'l\'CS of thr things thn1 ln tr-res 1 tllPlll l nnd llifly µo 10 gre111 lengt h to eren mnkr t lie rl11tt I product look liken phcto~ rnph. Hn\\'errr. most. of Ihern r r1rcfullr edit. 1he11· pl1o– toi,:rnphlc mnlcl'in l :io RS t O RCh IC ,. e H\lisfyi11g r·o111posl1 lon!i. T h P ran,11rr,1 :;uhjcl'l 1s I h t' cnllll'lllllfll'HI'\' lll'hllll fl l\' rn11111,~n1 ' · 't;IR l'l!'llC :-:llow11 \\'IIhulll people 1 - ~l!IJI) \\'lllrlOWS, t'llff' hnrs, b1llboanl:;, curs. etc - Lh111~·s t.h:tl the Pnp nrl- 1:-ils , 111 tht•ir rllffe1·,·11l wa~·s. flr:;l 111trmlucerl ns :rnhjec·t 111:it.u•r fur Arl. '1'.IH! pli1111,-rc11 ll.i;ts here take a spccm l 111tPrcst, in I.hi' illlPl'Ht•tin11 or objC'Cl!-1 111 rPal sp11c1~ with mm~es rrflPctcd n11rt rr.frnctcrt frn111 gllLI.L\r~· s11rhu•ps, This bci11g so 11111ch I\ pn n nr prest•nL-dar ex– lY'l'i1·11rr. b11t. ,m•rlHq1li 1mt. a lways nhsorhed Into Er– erymu n·s .t·1111srlrn1s11e~s. Don Eclcly'~ plll11tin1?, whrrc stupumluus skill has he1•11 \1:--f"CI to hrmt: 11110 a pictorial onlrr Lhe con f11sln11 or a c·luu crrcl shop window fn ll or s h i 11 _y-surfa(•ect oh,ll'cts. which reflect thin~s In 1hr slreet. I:.. nn ext rPme r M1111plr u( 11t1s 11\IPrest. Other , who rlo not. work rrom photoS,trftph~. IHI! rllrrcll,\' I1'0111 the moflrl ~Htll :tint nL creat – lll~ !lw 1llus1011 of n pho– lugru11l1. C11rden:1s 1C'ardhoard Hux 1 1·1111 be rcnc1 .as R highly 1llusln11is1ic repre– se11tntion, hut i1 s subt le ~rom 1 rh:lsm nnct c1cll– cnLc bel1.te tones sui;1.wst :rn illll'l'f\:.t, Ill i\Ii111mn.l Ar! ncstheth:s. The human ftG'llrf'. less In el'ldrnce here, ls tile s U I) j r (' I of Pf'Hl'hiLCin. whosr charnctertstlc R.th – ll'tlc trnrn.le nudes, ren– dned 111Hlcr n cold pho- 10µ:rnphic studio ltJ!ht. Rl'C srL close Lo th e spP('IUI OI' but holct him R.L Im.~· w11 h their l"St ra11glng ctctarhment. C h 11 c k Closc's por– trn1ts. done In an uncon– renttnrntl tcchnlc1ue And wit h i1111tntln11 or photo– grnphic blur LO create lile-llke e[lccls are quite hrllllont. Still life RIIILudes so sultnble lor freezing a moment In time. hn,·e a. benrmg on t 1e mood of "stills'' like the city- But there ere also some !Bsclna tIng "prop– er" stilt llfes here, such as Delnlleld Cook's be&U• tl[ul renrlillons ol a single pumpkin In char– coal nnd conte. And the lal'lsh Gam– ier'• Cabinet by Audrei• Flack, who uses photo– rnphs perfected by her– self as would a Dut h till Ille painter go about he subject without such Id. The lllLlnrnt~ AJ15\\'Cr to rentlon of llhi-1,on must be the threc-dlmenslnn– nl w rk. The contemporary ren.llst's nl tenllon Is lo– cused on the humble and ordinari·. And what motl\·ntod the mn.klng ol an un– beltel'nbly decepLJ,·e repl– ica ln hand-modelleci ce– ramic, of n. won1 ru1d torn nnd "Ugly" Johnston Sat.:hel. tl not LH!ne·s cmpnthy with such a humble obJert.? cPnt ccm1empornrr mrwe– numt., ~~!- lo nn Aus trn.- 11:tn I resident in Ne\\' York ,, John S rlnµcr. whn nst:rmblcd thr cxh 1- bitlnn n11d nlsn did tlle exrmplnry, !ndlspenslble rn1al~11c: to !Jhe Austrn • lin.n Cinllrry Dlrcrrnrs' Counril. and tJ1c Vlsue.J Art.s Don.rd.