Daniel Thomas : Newspaper writings

ar" "TELEGRAPH" Sydney, N.S.W. . 1964 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, NOVEMBER 22, 1964 63 1110111101111119111111/1111MINIMINIMINUMEREMINIlli FOR THE 'FUNGUS SEASON,' KEYNOTE HIBITIONS IN THREE NEW GALLERIES yn Co'nifort, style and two good showings FIREE new art galleries have mushroomed in this first week of Sydney's hot summer damps; the season for mould and fungal is here again. So it's good to find that the best of the The three Is exceptionally well -ventilated. On high ground in Pad dington, in a one-time military residence for men from the Victoria Bar- racks over the road, Gal- lery A also has excellent natural light. Artists will like the way their work looks its best here, as It does at the Hungry Horse; although some ugly galleries seem to sell quite happily. Not quite finished at the time of my visit, it prom- ises to be not only the most stylish in design but also the most comfortable for visitors - thick car- pets are a good beginning; and new unsmelly toilets an unusual treat. Main floor is for exhi- bitions, upstairs for prints and drawings, extensive basement (not yet ready) for the painting stock- room. Car -parking seems no problem, though the street is narrow; bustop same as for Barry Stern. The Wafters Gallery is also in an attractive stone -fronted house, but much smaller than Gal- lery A, and with a pretty Victorian shopwindow. One room at street level. another upstairs, decent light; not much stockroom yet; extremely friendly at- mosphere; rather horny styling with plaster stripped from the old brick or stone walls, paint stripped from the cedar. Car -parking not too good, but no worse than the Clune Gallery, and less far to walk from Kings Cross; taxi density excel- lent. Gallery closed Mon- days; open till 9 p.m. Wednesdays. The Lenthall Gallery is in a small office building and lacks the atmosphere of the converted houses. The windows are not the best. Car -parking only fair. No stockroom yet. Carpets, though, and com- fortable chairs for the North Shore suburban visi- tors, who are mainly in mind. The Lenthall and the nearby Royal Art Society should benefit from each other's proximity - two picture galleries for one outing are better than one. The Lenthall does not open on Saturdays. What about the exhibits which keynote these new galleries, week in ART by Daniel Thomas "MOTHER," by John Olsen . . . "a single large dark sign dominating the canvas." WHAT'S ON TODAY ONWARDS Art Gallery of N.S.W.: Special enlubitusn Photograph. of Sul- nin and Wilkinson mann- n tul swarth. Neonatal. City Art Gelloryt Stinewent collection, Centeno forn DAV;.°P... Panting Mary White School: Students. ElmxhibitPt pion. m. 10 a.m.-7 p m. Art Eo Underwood: Conn paintings. Von lerteuth. Novenae: 15 ens and under. ,TOMORROW ONWARDS Calory A. 21 Gipps 51, Ped dington: Inaugural Icur HIM. lentball Gallop, 131 Welker St N. Sydney: Me:mural en ore Callao& Render..., Oil Rent St.: Earn English Haler. Liston. Rudy Kenton: eaten New Zrland Reny Stem Ron lambert. The Lenthall has draw- ings by Kevin Connor, watercolors and prints by Eva Kubbos and Hem, Salkauskas, small oils and gouaches by Guy Warren (plus two large oils), and whimsical junk sculptures of birds by a young un- known, Roger Quinn. Except for Warren's large ones, nothing Is over 50 guineas. So, Mr. Len - than, who appears to be a good businessman, re- of small paintings by Margo Lewers might Just be interpreted as reveal- ing a preference for in- tensity and moodiness, though perhaps conclusions shouldn't be drawn. Her paintings are as usual; a few are so textural as to become reliefs; the majority, especially the watercolors, are much happier in their stomach - lurching exploration of Il- lusionist, not real, space. Gallery A's Mr. Hutchin- son has collected, simply, the top of the art -critical hit parade. Two Lanceley assemb- lages from the Rubinstein Scholarship. Including "The Great Aviator"; two paint- ings by his own discovery and Dawson, whose mid- year appearance at the ri.ingry Horse was so sen- sa,ional; a big junk sculp- tor( by Klippei, his first sine he returned to Aus- tralia, and much less purist: rusted and polished metal are juxtaposed, mas- sive parts and tremulous. Nor has he so firmly sup- 'presse presumablyge that came unbidden to this as to so much ab- stract work; the sculpture has been permitted to acquire a bestial presence, snarling and stiriging thArenenormous hwr O lseanes (acrylic, by the way not oil), the rat seen for a year. Lively One was painted for the rt I'V gram and in its finalpr voersionm ise now called "Mother." A very plain title for an Olsen, and a very plain picture; not a rainbow maze but for once a single large dark sign dominating the canvas, grossly podding -naturally it's the Life Force. Olsen's other two are the usual densely populated maps of his Sydney, with the usual long titles "En- trance to the Seaport of Opportunity" and "En- trance to the Seaport of Desire." The opulent vul- garities of tarnished of scarlet breasts, of burn- ing blue ocean, are spread prodigally by one who knows, like Mlro or Picasso, that the only real vulgarity is "good taste"-which means safe taste, negative taste, or no taste. peou,nui. 0 Trudge., po ry. Hungry Norse: Virginia Cue - ',titan, hand -painted fabric.. Clung: French peintingp tap - earn. prints. Little Gallery: Edgar Aarik, paintings. Macquarie: Toni C . scalp - lured wooden bowip Paretee's: 15 guineas and undo, Creep Wollongong: Nedda Enderte, oalntinge. TUISDAY ONWARDS Dominion: Christmas exh.01- Hon. Waft., 0.11eri, 307 Lin, pool Darlinghorst: Ineuginal Margo Lewere, .moll tainting. Education Department Ga- ntry: John Ogburn studio. FRIDAY ONWARDS NeWeastIg City An Gallery: GclIstc Art Crenate Masonic Hall: Port/ Hat14.ng Potter.: guestpotter loan biefebrti&lTI. aim vents no personal tastes, and seems prepared to handle anything of reason- able quality as long as it's not expensve. Mr. Walters on the other hand does have tastes of his own. Ages ago I remem- ber him paying off a giant, _desneratelv wanted Dicker- son for over a year; and one can predict a properly creative gallery that dis- covers and launches in- teresting new talents. His Inaugural exhibition