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

B_rashness, refinenient shown in their work LESLIE DUMBRELL 1rnd Penny Lehrn1m whose exhibitions coincide at Ray Hughes, are poles apart. Dumbrell had her last Brisbane exhibition In 19'1'7, and aome of her work then already tore• shadowed the course her art WM to take. That Is: away from her da1.1.llng, giddying, .' optical paintings, toward rhythmical compo11lllons that •re quite easy on the eye, yet retain the em- , phasls on an unitary moUI, the very controlled all- / over surface, metlculoua execution and refined . taste. Dumbrell's present exhibition Is a.II of drawlnp In pa.au ,ls, and they tall Into two main ,roups. One, where the unitary moll! Is a colored allclt and each painting Is comp05<!.d ol ,llcka ol aeveral colors, which •Ing In tune. In the earlier atlck-drt.wlng,, the all-over ar• rangement Is underpinned by a crld parallel to the rectangle, whereu In later drawings all movement Is at oblique an11les to the surface. Oumbrell's sure, In-built rhythm can dlspeme with the grid without losing !lrm control. In the oecond group of drawings, the unitary motif Is ol a share reminiscent ol the veins of a lea!. '!"he nature-evocation Is reinforced alM> by the more lrce a.rrangements and the happy colour •chemcs which remind one of gardens, or land• scopes. Nevertheless, Dumbrell's art remains abstract. She Is now represented In all state collections, as well as In the national collection In Canberra. The Queensland Art Gallery Cln 1974, through It., Art Gallery Society) was the llr•t state callee• lion to acquire a large Dumbrell painting. Penn)· Lehman, a younger artist (she originates lrom Adelaide and recently moved to Sydney), doea not care !or ··singing In tune" or beln1 refined. It l1 ob\•ious she wants to be 11 raw." 'J'he llrsl Impression one get3 from her exhlbl• lion ol large canvasses Is : brash, violent, a111reaalv1. Sharp, taped line• and hard-eds• rlnp and cir• oles are lensed against sploshy area.a. Colour • are In violent discord. Allhough Lehmnn's Image• are abstract, they still contain elemenui which remind one of comla strip technique• and pop art. l recall Lehman's llrs~ Brisbane exhibition, not long n~o at Ray Hu~hes, where she showed energet• le collages, !or which she had used discard• from the rrnmemaker'f\ business. In snme ol her pnh1tlr1~• In this show. one I., re– minded ol I hose cnll•~••· Zlmbra, her best painting here, wns done In .1979, n bout the same time as the roll•i:~·man has plenty of "~o." .,1tho111h her work 1, non•ll~urntl\·e. It expresses "n Involvement with Ille as she !Inds II, with much ol Its brashneu ancl c\lsharmo_ny. 28 MAR 1981 Silent classic Art Gallery • Ill ~!Ut~~~~~~D- A 1 ~t Gn 1 llkery Is nnt I hr most ohvl us place 1n see • movle u1,• nn• Ind h111. nrxl ~' rlday nl 7 pm "R bb U d Arms" will scrern In the thrntrr ll~ · · · 0 cry n er Th I •· nihitlo e ~cr_eer~ ~a. I~ bri ne llrlri In ,·n11lt111r1 u111 wll h lhc c11rr·rnt C'"'· 0 n o I nor l.\ rnlonlnl nnrt Vtrlnrtn n ,r tl~i \\"llllam Strntl n ~ 1m,· Will he 1hr lfl:.!tl ~lll"nt <'ln!,:o;lr d1 rr r tr.d h~ ,,,, · ,. ::;,~n;/~,'~;~:; 0 ~ st11rrlng Brnlllplon, Tien Hogue, HIid• ·oorrlnglo~'~~~ 1-,11ure producer n11,1 rtlrrclnr Charles Chn111·c1 makes hi; llr.1l screen ApJ)C!nrnnce In R m1nor rnle ' · "'Vod'A'l~~, 1; 1 ~~,~~~/ ';~~~:o~~,tri' l;rcr ad1tptlons rnnde or Rolf .Bolctrc- ~~~~li~"~~~r'r~~g1·~~r 1~:,~~t7·•::i :::1;~)~{~~~~3,~~ft ~~n~~ <;;;r~:~