Daniel Thomas : Newspaper writings

'TELEGRAPH" Sydney, N.S.W. 11 APR 1965 EntertainmentvAround the World Two sides of Albert Tucker ALBERT TUCKER is a Melbourne painter of the some generation as Nolan and Boyd, his aims are parallel with theirs, and he demands consideration on their level. The exhibition at the Dominion is Sydney's second look at him after a five-year in- terval. His artistic per- sonality has split. Most typical are still the big contributions to an Australian sense of myth. Over the years various metamorphic images have slowly evolved, and at pre- sent the Antipodean head is still basic, though now titled Ex plorer, or, with modi- fications, Intruder. It is a head whose surface has always suggested an arid land- scape, cratered and scarred. This has fur- ther suggested a new Image of watercourses, to be read simultane- ously as veins spread- ing Into the Eirplorers' bodies. One profile antipo- dean head la combined very interestingly with a front view of a horn- ed animal skull. And this idea In turn might have led to the Intrud- ers, or Fauna which have crossed the bord- erline from life into the condition of statues or totems; openwork standing skeletons, with horned Kelly -Helmets, they are being picked clean by scavenging parrots, The picture titled simply "Intruders", is one of the best in the show, and in it the bone pre-occupation lets the horns branch into ant- lers, doubling as dead trees. One reason for the superiority of this parade of bones may be that a bone form can become a stylized symbol, and yet remain as object to be rep- resented illusionistic- al/Ucker's central con- flict seems to be that ne has a natural Incli- nation and talent for illusionism, while his intellect drives him to evolve images which must become abstract and stylized. Quite often In fact the two modes co -exist uneasily In Tucker's pictures. In the current exhibition the Gippsland Explor- er's are examples, while the various Intruders have pushed further Into abstraction. Another less painting, "Last Days of Ludwig makes an even greater departure by stylizing the entire landscape background into a pattern of de- corative bands. More- over, It Is unique for Tucker in using agree- able. Indeed pretty colors In these bands, (pink, lilac, light yellow, red). Tucker has always seemed a master of ugly, raw color, the suitably Victorian colors' (for these Victorian period Australia'. myths) of musty chro- nolithographs. This decorative pat- tern -making is one side of Tucker's split. The other is uncurbed 510111SM, either In land- scapes, or large birds. Lilce the decorative Lud- wig the birds are very agreeable; t hough otherwise quite unlike ; The week in 3y Daniel Thomas In their monochrome browns, and in their facile brushiness. We recall Nolan. The landscapes, or rather the tree -trunk pictures become so en- amoured of rendering the fully textured Illu- sion of bark, that resin- ous timings are indi- cated by great applied cowpats of palette - scrapings, several inches thick. One suspects that the illusionist extreme Is a matter of easy self- indulgence for Tucker. Though less attractive and less dependably successful, the struggles with those images, In the middleground be- tween illusion and decoration, are the pic- tures that matter. The exhibition is a first fruit of the Dom- inion's association with the Australian Galleries. Melbourne. There is a handsome catalogue with nine large Illustra- tions, one of them in color, Prices unquoted. What's MACQUARIE The Macquarie - by far the oldest gallery in Australia, celebrates its 40th birthday with a mixed show of artists whom they have laun- ched or promoted: Fair- weather (the best reason for visiting the exhibition) Bunny. Bel- lette (a large neo-clas- steal group of the 1040s), Connor, Drysdale (a drawing), Cedric Flower, Donald Friend, Tem Green, Milaw.e, John D. Moore (always better than one remembers), DAVID JONES' David Jones' third "Fine and Decorative Art" exhibition Includes furniture, pottery, sil- ver, glass, jade and crystals, and a few plc.: tures and sculptures. Apart from a few flamboyantly lacquered pieces the furniture is countrified, and well. equipped with cracks and worm holes (very smart of course); nothing equals the wonderful 11th century Italian chests from two years ago. This year the glue; seems especially desir- able. And of the sculp- tures a Spanish Gothic woodcarving, 14th cen- tury, is outstanding. SHOWGROUND The art competitions at the Show are well worth seeing this year. I shall review them next week. on in art North Sydney: Autumn Dominion: A be r t Exhibition. Tucker, paintings. Quixote, Avalon: Macquarie: 40th annl- Drawings and Prints. versary, mixed show, Crane, Wollongong: Australian paintingr Geoffrey Hooper, paint - David Jones: Z. lags. and Decorative Art. Van Dertouch, New- Waiters: William Mar- castle: Max FeuerrIng, ler, carved wooden bowls. paintings. Hungry Horse: Robin OPENING Welch, pottery. WEDNESDAY Little Gallery: Lorna Prendiville, Stern: Gino Sanguln- Gallery A: Colin Lan- etti, sculptures; mixed c el e y, assemblages, paintings. Showground, Arts lithographs. and Crafts Pavilion: Clune: Charles Black - Seven annual art com- man, paintings, draw - petitions. Mrs, collages. Darlinghurst: S a 11 Royal Art Society. Herman, paintings.