Daniel Thomas : Newspaper writings

r "TELEGRAPH" Sydney, N.S.W. r 6 Jkili 1,t0 A 'giant' you must not miss THE Rodin exhibition of )avid Jones must be the first time that one of the world's greatest artists has been presented in a commercial gallery in Australia. There is no harm in reminding you that Rodin was a giant, that Sydney hardly ever sees such collections of work by the truly great. and that consequently whoever misses this should be shot. If we nominate the greatest sculptors of each century since (lie ' Renaissance, then Ro- din takes full possession of the 19th century. He is on a level with Dona - tell°, Michelangelo and Bernini from the 15th, 18th and 17th centuries, with Brancusi from the 20th. (The 18th century, as usual, can offer no giants to keep company with these. perhaps the Bavarian Ignaz Gun- ther, Is the best sculp- tor it can offer), Practically all the Rodin bronzes In Aus- tralia have been bor- rowed. Only the Na- tional Gallery of Vic- toria was unable to lend. Of their six sculp- tures one is the popular "The Thinker". Ano- ther, "Minerve sans Casque" would have provided a badly needed example of work in marble, for marble was very important in his career. And, although Mel- bourne has recently dis- ccrered that the terms of the Felton Bequest do not allow loans of work purchased from that fund, ono of their bronzes comes front another bequest, the Howard Spenseley. It is the early "The Man with the Broken Nose" 1884, and it would have added a whole decade to the representation of Ro- din's career. Male nude As it Is, the exhibition begins appropriately enough, with Rodin's first publicly exhibited work. "The Age of Bronze", made in 1878 when he was 38. This is the famous male nude which was accused of being cast from the living model. Such extreme natur- alism makes Rodin a true child of his own 18th century, the only period when realism was required of high art. But since Rodin did not cheat, since It was not cast from a living man, but from the clay or plaster modelled by Rodin himself, then we must admit Rodin's fantastic knowledge of anatomy. Such virtuosity ful- fils more the Renais- sance ideal of the ar- tist -as -Intellectual, the artist -as -scientist, than the lath century ideal of the artist -as -visual Journalist. Soon after the realism of "The Age of Bronze", Rodin's sculpture be- gins to refer explicity to the Renaissance. "Eve", is imprisoned, like MicheInngelo's Slaves, within an im- r.veery black of stone; a rnarvelllous geometry is discovered in the human figure, and P becoines, in this case, a f igure symbolic of shame. Aellind the Remits- ck4. _of 1 course, i 10( The week in t By Daniel Thomas Greek and Roman an- tiquity. Antique sculp- ture mostly reached modern times In the form of fragments. Rodin himself owned classical fragments, and in this exhibition the numerous small hands and heads or the Queensland Art Gal- lery's large torso are evidence of his greatest sculptural insight: the fragment es a work of art in its own right. Not only will it be more coherent as a form; it will also be more Intensely expres- sive of emotion. Which brings us to the universal qualities which make him an ar- tist for all time, not only for an age of realism, or of scientific virtuosity, or of clas- sical forms. He is a supremely sensuous ar- tist, a supreme celebra- tor of animal vitality in human beings, and at times a great master of erotic passion. At David Jones an inferior cast of The Kiss and the superb Fug!, A at or, ade- quately display this im- portant aspect of his work. What could be more universally accessible. so eternally modern? In addition to the 25 bronzes there are five characteristic drawings. (Another Rodin drawing Is In the exceptionally beautiful ex hi bit lon The Art of Drawing opening at the Art Gal- lery of N.S.W. tomorrow evening), He drew constantly, and preferably from the model in motion, walk- ing casually around the studio, dancing or tumbling In very curious positions; not posing like a statue. Thus he learnt the full possibilities of the body, and his sculptures always retain an aware- ness of the ripple of muscles, of potential movement. The resulting ani- mated light - catching surface relates his work superficially to the ani- mated flicker of Impres- sionist painting, which wan exactly contempor- ary with Rodin. Mr. Haines' display of the exhibition deserves the highest praise. The mostly small bronzes stand on their pedestals in a room, transformed into a wintry Paris gar- den-Rodin's own Rue de Varenne if you wish -simply by walling It with a few enormous bare branches of poplar or fruit trees. THE RUDY KOMON GALLERY after six months in the chrysalis of remodelling h as emerged, moat unex- pectedly if one remem- bers that former dingy tunnel, as the most sophisticated bit of gal- lery design in Austra- lia, very lure indeed, very spacious. Archi- tect: Neville Gruzman (what other galleries have even used an ar- chitect?). "Garden" Tile exhibition. in- accurately called New Treads In Australian Art, has a pink -legged flamingo woman sculp- ture by Baldessin, and a two -level panel by Senberg's to represent the young and unfami- liar. The rest are mostly the very well establish- ed artists, mostly figu- rative tint abstract. And mostly at their hest. as in the new work by Roger Kemp, Fred Williams (especi- ally the uncatalogued chocolate watercolor), Dews, French Lynn, Whiteley (a drawing), Cassab (a new kind of abstract for her, large forms, fluid. sweet). Or as in the not SO recent Olsen, Hessina, Meadniore, and Dickerson, each out- standing. The famous seniors are all there too: Dobell, Drysdale, Nolan (Luna Park. 1040, vir- tually abstract), Boyd (1944), Friend, Pass - more and Orban. LTMBURNER: Fran- cis Lymburner (Domin- ion) seems rather im- proved. More settled perhaps. These familiar lovers, dancers, models and so on are lightly roman- tic pretexts for lightly romantic painting: they will never be important, but they will always look good. What's on in art Art Gallery el N.S.W. Sop. Jeaann woodcut, Newentle City Art Gaiter)! Sysecal e. London Treneport Potters. Cluny Stephen Walker, Lewd. lure. 0.010 Janes: Avian. Rodin, sculptures end dress.nas. Ramos: Kind AtnInettan pe.ntPds and sculptures, In - ...witted renteletre4 Canary, Farmers, Otsen Shim, drove. .,6. intercators. Dominion, Francis Lyn,. burner. PPM tip,. URN Gallery: Roy Hut... Ion, paintinot And water.... Gallery A: .1050 Erna, "A11.421asrd 4,A.1%"ert, Land rprings ond bark paintings. Carlondhurott Elisabeth Cunt myna IlrellnXX.Narresetlat Col Levy. Ln eleSebrough, pot ""brierkehea Arte Cealvat Wits Fartry Odom, paInt.nds. OPENING MONDAY 1dat.;1*-?..137an'tc-,NITS.". of Dratv. Adie Sr ou ()Poety.3a rapano by L $ Hungry Hone: Ude Feddor Ion. way. levi:lo and run, OPENING WEDNESDAY FFr.:=.1.4re:41, inr",har 1(!34.4.eelten". blade. Wattent David Andel, paint. OPENING THUR Art Gallery SD a AlY N.S.W.: Spar lal rshIbt On - A, -um Rolm., Le Soy Brerven Met, or In, Pr." for Students' Oro, FILM FESTIVAL YyYyyy Palversar Includes Edvard Mu.. (Today and Sm. rnde:t Settirre";b74%.;ndySc.'" A,,, Ca WIONSISDAY DFerILMlS unclt: .n.borst Gallery, 1 r , -John lirettes Melbourne.. FRIDAY LECTURE Wieekshop Arts C W I Fronk end