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

THE· IMPORTANCE OF! P. • IrOURING AR b~sT year when the t,rilous American art critic I ~14!.ment Greenberg gave a By DR GERTRUDE LANGER f lecture In Brisbane. someone :. · } asl<ed him what he thought ~,,-..· --J , ,,__ more Important In a ! 1 l 1 ·. ~ like Australia: adding · f ,, 1 1 ( t~ ,permanent collectlohs or . j i • ·7' · • . brl~lng significant. exhlbi- · l : ·· ' ,.,, I ~ from overseas. f -~:::.i ! '.'Without hesitation Greenberg - • - - ' '=: Exhibitions. • : '· •,;; : lldeed. American an itself got • ' i;nt 1hot in the arm and then ""' , ,, • atined to blOISOm under the '' ~ Impact or the famous """ - AanorY 1how 1913, when New Yoi'k, lor the first time, saw an ~ition of international 8lldern art. · Tllo many pictures sold from tJila ;exhibition indeed, formed 1'!e:' ,buia of many important ~ODI of modern art in the ~(,Dio opportunity or buying .. imP'lrtarit overseas cxhibi• dliaa wu c:omplctcly lost in Bni.l!ane, 1 but not so badly in 9"'Statc1.) ·::- 000 :i:i•Australia, the great exhibi• tlon·~ of French and British ~od~rn Art, assembled by Sir Buil Burdett for Sir Keith Murdoch of the Melbourne llerald, marked a turning point in this country's history. Bernard Smith, in his book on • Australian Painting, says: "The exhibition created great public inicrcst wherever it was shown and .exercised an influence upon Australian taste in tht visual arts ~~ljlt to exaggerate." X number of important cxhlbi• ti~.s from overseas fo!lowcc!, after the war. Among others, there were French Painting Today (I 953), Recent British A.rt , Recent Italian Art, Recent ,American Painting, and Modern Misters from MOMA, New GEORGES BRAQUE - "Woman with Mandolin"• York. . Every time, an important exhibition had a.great impact on Australian artists and the public, but less so in Brisbane, although we did not always miss out. • Apathy, ignorance or· closed minds? What was true in the past is no· longer the case. Proof: The interest, for example, shown in the-current Thyssen-Bornemisza exhibition. As I predicted even before the event, public interest in the arts ·;. ha~ '.grown very much, Bu~ copiing . back to the importance or bringing exhibi– tions to Australia, No art collection here is sufficiently rich in examples of European, Amer– ican, or any other art except our own. And even the taller is sometimes inadequately represented, 000 Where our own State collec-· lion is concerned, it is particular• ly deficient. . Further, people want to hav,e n change and not see the same works all the time. On several occasions I have been frustrated by the reluctance to spend funds on sponsoring exhibitions, It may be hoped that the success or the Thysscn• Bornemisza exhibition will stimulate greater willingness., not only on the part of administra• tars of public funds, but also the private sector to assist similar ventures in our state. · I have no doubt great things will happen as soon as we have our .new splendid art gallery. · When you come to think of°it, one has to travel to Melbourne to sec the only Van Gogh in this c:ountry. But there is a more bcautirul one in the Thyssen collection, and one should think that people would queue up even io sec one such painting. The exhibition will close the last ay of this month, Those who have not sccri it already should hurry before the crowds get thicker near closing time. . I have been asked 10· name the paintings ·I like best in this exhibition. · So, spcak\ng personally: . The Van Gogb for that quality or deep feeling. I could dwell on the character of Van Gogh's touch, the rich texture and color. of his pigments, etc., but it is the •?iii of •the painting which counts, · · €ezan11e's Fruit Garden is not one ·of the greatest Cczannes I kpow; but it is a sensitive work, where the carefully arrived-at structure coalesces with tender feeling for the delicate limbs of trees supporting the load of the cr,owps, ... 000 Jawlensky's "The Red Veil" is a, 'beautiful example of his– favorite subject, the ikon-likc portrait of woman. The painting radiates with glowing green and purple and the tender amplitude of structured curves. Nolde, one of Germany's greatest expressionists (persecut– ed under Hitler for his "degener– ate art") has a great painting here; it vjrtually heaves with h,eavy pigment and powerful rhythms, expressing the forces of sea and sky. . ' Pic • sso's Han-esters interests ine because this probably is the 0 fl.rst work of his where he makes no distinction between figure and around, mass ~nd space, but .draws everything, into a univcr~ sit movement. This, of course, l~d to Cubism, of which Picasso's '•Head" here is an admirable early example. 000 Qf Braque, the co-inventor or tubism, we sec here his Mandolin Player in the style of analytical cubism, which could not have been invented before Einstein proclaimed his theory of relativity in 1905. Mandolin Player, of ethereal subtlety, is ,me of those paintings which make visible the new concepts of lime 1 space and mailer. · Elegance, clarity and perfcc• t!on arc seen in a still li fe by Juan Gris, 11 most accomplished exponent or Synthetic C ubism. . For similar reasons I admire legcr's The Bridge. Whal mar• vellous balance of contrasts, PABLO RUIZV PICASSO what solidity and firmly knit structure! There also is a particularly fine Mondrian, The painting by Rothko could be the one least understood by the general public. It means a lot to me. But I ,find the way it is hung detracts from its myster• ious effect; it needs a little chapel all for itself. 000 One cannot "like" Francis Bacon, but one cannot ignore his terrible power. Of course, one is drawn to Magritte, maker of intriguing ima~es; to Ch • gall's lovely painting '!'here a strong rooster carries off his adoring beloved; lo (;n~ky'! "HuRglng", whcrn delicate lines arc cast around 10 cmb and wit h grou cal h D rive mch the whe add,: a SIi In I pr Poll 11 by earl Stua I\ to Rau had Mu,. The Thyssen-Bornemisza tury of Modern Masters" - the Queensland Art Gallery MIM building, Ann Street. It is open from 10 a.m. to Saturday, extending to from noon to 5 p.m. Sund being sponsored by The Co Channel 7. Admission charges 'to c adults and $1 for childr pensioners.