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

A SENSE OF LIBERATION G UY GREY• SMITH has been honoured In his Stnte by a ma jor retrospecUve at the western Australian Art Onllery. This exhibition. mlnua a number ol works which were Included In Perth, ls r.cw showing at Queens– rnnd Art Gallery. lt Is a substantial ao– lecuon, tracing the de– velopment of the artist from 194$ to 1976. Various lnlluence• a.re Immediately apparent, but U,tiy do not diminish our interest In this never superficial artist. * n,e early paintings show nn lnielllgent and rer\'cnt application or lessons lenrned from Ce- 1.nnne 1Knrrl forest, Red Rocksi, Cubism nnd the Fl\U\'CS ( ROttnest, Tor– bay), and Longreach Dny remind., of Munch nnd the Druecke paint- ART REVIEW by Dr. Gertrude Langer plied with the pnlelle km!e. Viii de Stnel he nlso experienced a •trong identification with Nor t II-Western Austrn– lian landscape. But Ins work is by 11n rnco ns bared on landscape 0111)'. In these de Srnrllnn paintings the e111ph11s1s on slr\lcture and the nr• rangement or colours he· come Lhe acL-ual theme, but e,·en lhe mo.st ab– stract com1>0slllons con· tnin flKUratll'e elemmts which nre entirely RS· 1lmilaled Into !,he Rb• st.ract structure. The planar, slnbhy structure Is ,·ery tight and solid, the Intense co– lors in 1iowerru1 otn!e, and In U1e best palnllngs operate 111,on each 01.her maglcaUy. "B0Ule1 and r.,. almmnn• ls a oplcndir\ example of these chnrnc– terlstlcs, also "Emu hy the \\'aterhole", and "Two t'lshermtn", (tlte last mentioned was do– nated to our gallery by the Queensland Art Gal– lery Boctety In 1963, "'hen Orey-Smith hod •R one-mnn show at the Johnstone). ln the la~• ·• txt.lc• nnrl l,h • 'f-i.e\ l'llWC'5 O\'l'llr. "Aho\l~ llll' S1•a," 1l!l HI whii'h has >1mlln rt11es > John P1~:-mnrr. h a:-. 6Urfnrc whk h is more 01.>enl'd up nnd l>r a th11u:, n11d cnlllgrnphlc art lllll IS emph1M1rh "Qulnns" t 1971, l. n ,·cry -'<'ObllJ\ c p1unun , mysterious und l) rtro!. In "~arnbtonr l'oun– try" sudden ,:;e1,1.nrr,'\ R re r('conlccl with , 1µor. reln – lorccd by ,·otours m y- , n a m Ic oppos1tlnn ; ~ rather dtrllcult pn1ntln 1 and not. quite res.ol \'Cd . * ..Forest" ron~iM.s or n.n nil 01·er red ltcld whlrh nlmost. sw1dlows up the L r c e s re11de1cd mln- tmnllstJcnlly 11s thin 61 rokcs nnd cl l~s. t he ,·ol ~t, 11 e mo\'ern nt. or which Is ln.s:,oed bnr.k and Rnrhorect b;- well placed slashes tn ,·l\'ld green nnd yellow. Benutllul drawings, chiefly o! tnndscnpe sub– ject•. tncluden In this ex– hibition. also ·r,1nge Ol'er periods n.nd ..J~~•J ?5. Their r~n. 1a11t factor Is R. Irrlrat fer.ling aind c1<lllgrnp'1j un mn.tlon. '1 he 1,,'our i c,r 29 ,J.,11l A r •1ai l 19 7 7 e I 'I lw f'\l11111 ,1111 1.11 \ nil , 1c1, :P q ll't 11.· h-t11rf .\ 11 L, ,111 1•1 \ 1rn11pI1~r !\ 1'1 t'O\Jllll'\l'~ Ill IIH' trl,!IOll - nan,!:htdr , h. 1 Jt l-11J11)! – k n 11 ,.; J' ,,pun :":e\\' (. iUll'lf'1\, l11ctnllt'':!ilh, J,1 - 1)1\ll, ~lnl,1~ ,ii\, ~l'\\ :leu- 11111d, r ..k1, tnn,, Phillp– Jllll('I", , II i:;,1porr•. l'llid– lllo4,:llll!l Ausl,J'abn., ~ 1~f ~i"{7fll,I' \9t stylrs I, ~~rf:ft ~~ L 1r tl11·r ,·– s1 'In \irl11r111uk111i,.: t l'1 II• lllf\1(' .\.• to l11c lnttrr mu• not 1'C!i tlt.,L r u 11111;; lw s ~ ,l 111 f' d JJl'CJ 11ctcra111: e \N lhc ..:tJ'N'llprlnt-• a L lrn. 111 thitii cxhibll1on , . )i.l JI' I l!'llf olton I •:1t11r,1, nr 1hr 111 ,11c :r,tl r :• ,11•-.;1P 1,,, d ·• ~ , t·•t·r·r ,. d 1 1!''' ' 111111 •Ill ' 1r• n' 'l,lfi,r 0 •1 r. ·•rr•11111- ' 111•\ h.1· i' 11 11:i '11r r 1· I n ,. H•r .~1 •11r111nc .t1H IIOW 111 illfl ll\" !)..ii'!~. ~f ·• rr1 !1rlrr--. rt11~rr ,..,. n Ill I 11 n I fl It \\ 111 oflffl rf>,,•al thr llf\rt H•11lllr 1·111• 111r~I \Jnr-kRrouncb nnrl pl11lr,:,oph1r,. 00111!! 111 o s111'11 rtrliu l i~ IJl"\'Ot?fi I he M~Opt" O th1~ nrt tcle. 'rh {' II\ l'lll!f' \'l('\\'1'1 ,,·1,11!rl hr h.1 r,t1,· 111 ,, no• ~\t1n11 1" 111dc<• whrthrr thh or : 1w1 11r111 " l'f'l''ll'f' • , ,., , .... :1 nn111111 ,1r r h 1111· In a total or 65 p1·1nt_, hy :, _, nrnny lll'll.\15 . •>\ ll~- -~IAl!;S.-.l!.!!l!!!i!L:'-)!!! ll'ldllt hH\ the l:1rgc~L :-cruon With '.?3. 'l'hr H 1 lrn1011 rnnkr s 11s p1'1111d llf thr lornl prod · UCL nm! one is ~Ind to sn~• lhnt fine rrnrt: mnn,..,11111 takc-11 fol' ~rnntr d, the srlrc11011 rnu:,t Im \'(' been cult.led h,· nn ,,,·r r >r IIIOrf' !'!Ub; tllllllf\l 'nn,~uc ('lllllrlll. tlll\11 tie, f'l'Jlf':-\ \\' Ith 1r,· h n1r n l cx – prn111r11nuon /\ 11\ltlltH.•r nr t'l l\l llll'lr.,i;, HI'{' 11\111\t'l'ICIIII \ p 1n 1rl,\' rrprr~rntl'C! - wuh nnc nr 1-\rn J\l'IUIS 11111,. l11d1n, wnh' 14 Artt:,L.,; show1111:. hns thr lan:c.)t. br11ckr1 afLOI' AU~ll·nlla. * It Is a ht• lll,1· <ll\'CI'· filflCd collect1011 and <·011- tnln.s some oult ,landi.ng work. Some or t.lH! ln(tlnn nrtists work nbrnnd in rent1·es such as Ne\\' York. Pnrls and ~111nlcll. w thf111t q1,·im: up co111- plr1cl.,· thrir own culturnJ Oot•lrnrounrl. :-Jew Drlhi nrU~tc;. nre lllll('h in 1111\l' with Ill· crn111 irn111l r1M'CIOpl11Clll ·, J'?nhrn Gnc,·r. prcsi– cl1•111 nf thr Pl'111t Coun – cil. ~1\)'S 111 1\1,;; forcwa r,I 10 the c·ntnlm:ur: " O r ~prcrnl lntrrr. .,, 111 1 hr. AIII\Lnlltnn \'IPWrl" is t 11; sorl11I rom111r1n r xprr -.~cd n11rl tile r1hn1c riunl\111\~ rxh1h1trcl by ~rnnr pl'i111 - 1n11krrs 111 1hr \\'r.i,1rr11 PnPl!IC' rr~ln11··. A:i IO I hr ~nclal ('f)lll– ll1CllL 111 nrl !hi~ lnduclr ~ 1hr Ali:-:trn lmn ~rr·iion ,. lhcrc 1-- Cl'l'to llll\" IHll nrrn, hcl111l11p: ly ,11;1cl 1 ill t?n clrncr. Sn111r 11111('s ii l!i rx- 1> r C' 1' S C d Ill Sl l':1i2h l– f or\\' H. r et rcrms, f-10II1c– t1111ce; It lrns tn hr rl l.. CO\('l'NI_ Ill hlc·hl,\" sophis– t.lcntcct• 111:llllpllhlllOl)S, * 'l'ilc urrcnt e:-:hlbition a, Ora11t11c Onllcry •TA· nngn I Is uf sc rer11p1·111t~ b~· Dour Croston nnd clrnwlng!-i b~· Kr.11 Pnrrow. Dmut Crnstnn of Surn- 1h orpc \\'a~ '' "II pn!oit lw, prim e wl11x1 hr dcculrd t o bf'ColllC' n flllltllllr lll'l• ,~t. 11 1~ 1cn:1c11r 1111<1 flls- 1 I'.' \!l'OWIW! r:,,. p0l'li!-iC !:-Milll ('Olllll\ll!Hlrd rrr.pc ,·t. Hts nbstrnC'I. !-('rrcnpr– ln t~ 1111 tllr h1~L rcw yen rs he ilHs rt \'ntrd h im!-clf clur rly 1n this mcrltum t h Cll', ('Ol1\ttlll such allrnctlvr ones n~ "Esperience with Bllch" 1 r e c en l I;· scqulrcd by Queensland Art Gallery) Blue Patches, nnd i to• btlr. K en FRrrow "'ho nr– ri\'ecl from England In 1971. litrralt;· "catches" \l1c apprnrn nee ln n .Jnn~le nr nel'\')', aqulg~I)' llnrs. Hr h:1c: n uo/)lilh:lc lranin l! tv,,·1u·c1s) llCriud f\Cll l'('S, l n ll llllXCcl 111rrtln d 1'H WIil~ nr n 11 0\'l'rj!l'l)Wn olrl l10111r~1r ncl. hr l'l"l'– tninl,· CXJ)ICS!-f'!i lht? f1•r l n r 1·n111bll11g ,·rgct11tlo11 \\"llh Ju~ " f"I'\' hnndlilHf, F:irrow·~ rlr:tW\11!!,'i Al thrlr hcst. lrnvc nn c.• r lrnnn. ' t-tis !-l;ctcltr.~ 11u r1c nre brurnL