Daniel Thomas : Newspaper writings

Today there is scarce- ly a major districi with- out an art group, and it usually arranges an an- nual exhibition of new city paintings, Most have their municipality help with exhibition cost with premises and With prIzemoney. though the Berrima district which I visited last weekend does not-pre- sumably because there are three close, and rival municipalities. sur- rounding this unique 4, colonial village which S. makes a logical cultural centre for Mittagong. Bowrai and Moss Vale. It is nearly 10 years I since the State Govern- ent, during a minor financial crisis aban- doned its hugely suc- cessful travelling art exhibitions service. The spontaneous regrowth of exhibitions by local effort shows how funda- mental and widespread is the demand fur cul- tural activity now that society's util I tarian problems of health and housing and employ- ment are largely solved. Educates public The exhibitions have definite educational in- tentions, though these are not so well -served as by the defunct gov- ernment service which always had an accom- panying lecturer. Berrima however is intelligent in its ar- rangements, and by having a section for watercolors, drawings ant., original prints It educates its public into a better awareness of art's various possibilities titan the more common division into oils and watercolors only. In this section they in fact got some of Australia's very best artists in these fields-Srigeti for draw- 1 ing, Backen for prints, Enid Cambridge for watercolors. With oils of course the famous painters can never be expected, for they are too much in demand In Sydney and Melbourne to supply 30 country ex- hibitions per year. I Chance for reputation It Is the younger painters who send to the country exhibitions. And by providing the opportunities for younger artists to equip themselves with a few prizes and thus ascend the ladder of reputa- tion the exhibitions also operate as useful acts of art patronage. (Some artists make quite a profession of collecting prizes; at Berrima an excellent painting by 011ifland had already won two prizes and was good enough to have won again it others equally good had not been present.) "TELEGRAPH" Sydney, N.S.W. e 10.1 . 4.1. No. 404 41,11. 0000000 Ladies of Berrima THE annual art exhibitions in many N.S.W. country towns make a remarkable body of cultural 91104.,_ To provide oppor- tunities for. selling is also a form of art pat- ronage, though what sells in the country has to be very low-priced, and reassuringly familiar. For example Nilmotte Williams who paints Macleay Street as an Impressionist Champs Elysse, nice and small and nice and cheap, sends to all the country competitions, and sells. Its really onlya kind of commer- clot merchandise, but it might start someone icariaing,so some- times I leave this kind of picture In. But though educat- ing the local public, and offering useful iatronage to artists are mportant factors, its chiefly the desire of local painters, mostly' amateur and mostly women, to measure their work against the city professionals, that sets it all in motion. The Berrima ladl were an exceptional, dashing lot. Apart from their of making a very hard day's work (selecting from 300 pictures, and hanging those chosen) Into a relaxed picnic for me with flagons of wine and baskets of chicken sandwiches, they were intelligent, as I've said, in their choice of categories. They were also quite prepared tct accept my award to a nude. by Richard Lar- ter, for even though be had, I think, much re duced its nudity f this audience, nudecan still upset th country. And they al painted well, far le timidly or stiltedly th most country groups. It emerged t h a several of them hat once been at art schoc in Sydney, and the. they now bring an ex- cellent teacher - Joyce The week in art By Daniel Thomas Allen-up from Sydney' regularly for their clauses at Berrima. So they are not amateurs like the early Victorian ladies who did genteel watercolors and In watercolor 120 years ago. Then it was n matter of filling idle days. Now It is much more posi- tive. It is partly a rust- ler of maintaining some cultural values in a small community. But It also seems a definite feminine challenge Art Gallery of N.S.W.: Australian, European, Oriental and Aboriginal Art. Commonwealth Sav- ings Bank, Martin Place; Blake Prize. Workshop Arts Cen- tre, Willoughby: Joy Ewer t retrospective. (Closes Monday.) Hyde Park: Mirror- Waratah Art Prize. Dominion: The Julian Ashton School 1895- 1965. ' Daribighurst: Mar- garet 011ey, paintings d Mere is surely nc a n A, _ ference In the r.1p Can of potential I in men or women. Rt., a great part of women's talent is lost simply be- cause child -rearing full occupies the years tha should be spent slog ging away at their art, Most important women artists in fact have been childless - Margaret Preston in Australia, Louise Nevelson in America. It's rare t find a woman who has succeeded brilliantly at art and at children; Barbara Hepworth, with triplets, is the shining example. "Conspiracy" of men T11118 the wish to prove the talent they once had to set aside, to reactivate it, and fight the "conspiracy" of men to claim all the best artists is one driving force In . these high- spirited women of Ber- L rimir nature of things its a hopeless battle, but we love them for it. It is one reason why these admirable country exhibitions ex- ist, Whatss on in Waiters: Henry Bell, paintings and drawings, Little Gallery: Beryl Foster, paintings. Kamen: Gordon Shepherdson, paintings and drawings. Gallery A: Water- colors and drawings by 25 artists. Hungry Horse: Erwin Fabian, sculptures and monotypes. Macquarie: Jeffrey Smart, paintings. Stern: Garath Jones - Roberts, paintings, Frances Jones Studio: Joan Martin, paintings. Von Bertouch, New- castle: Guy Warren, oils and watercolors. - Canberra Gallery Charles Reddington, p ainti ngs. Start, Mittagong: An- nual craft exhibition (today only). OPENING TUESDAY Darlinghurst Annex: A Drawings by Darns al Lindsay, Frank Beck, ri F. McNamara, R. Stew- art. Waral Festival poster competi- OPENING WEDNESDAY Art Gallery of N.S.W.: ylve Melbourne_Zi " rs. Official opi 4 -Lyndon Dadswell, 5.30 p.m. Clune: Elwyn Lynn, paintings. OPENING FRIDAY Stables, Pymble: Georgina Worth.