Daniel Thomas : Newspaper writings

Pv. t9JANisiev "TELEGRAFFIt" 4 '4 ,410K-0 Sy ey, N.S.W. t , 004441#~4,414~04.100.4.04,044MINOMMOIJIMMI44.4.NOMMINIMPO Critic's farewell THIS is my last article for the Sunday Telegraph before I go to America in a month or two. For three and a halt Though this is not at three years it seems I years I have been all to say that local also regard Klippel, mostly reviewing exhibi- art is worse; it is Williams, Molvig, Co - lions, occasionally re- possibly better, and cer- burn and Kemp as cap - viewing books and ar- tainly more intelligent able of giving much chitecture, occasionally than it used to be. more pleasure to more discussing the art Several times I have people than the public world remarked what an nd- has yet learnt to re- Itmirably large amount celve. I do not men - of has been written decent paintings we lion the very young, entirely for my own see in Sydney, much about whom one is al - benefit; that is it has more than in many ways less certain, or the tried to answer some of the endless questions cities( though our already very popular, or one gets at work at commercial f r 1 n g e those who may be Just I exists, and is growing) as good but do not the Art Gallery of N.S.W. before they are and that only out of speak so clearly to me. even asked, like tourist., such fertile ground really important asking what's on or what are typical art art have a chance to Nourish prices. grow. But it would help breed a nation of art- How good any of And since it is part them will seem after a of the Gallery's proer collectors if these de- aboutp cent ones would keep good dose of old and even the tringiest their prices below the new work in the U.S.A. Job anyway to know level of those few who is hard to till. Quite of local art activities, for various reasons regardless of the ulti- I have sometimes men- have become fashion- mate quoin:, of vocal cloned obscure or able, instead of push- work, it can still nour- suburban galleries that no other reviewers in them up for the ish us greatly simply sake of their own because it is a natural would consider visiting vanity. growth from our own - this unfortunately So instead of pro- local society. gives me a gloomier moting an awareness There is real impov- view of Australian art , of art in general, by erishment if one ne- than theirs, for. the s art (which is all finding something in- glects the art and lit- betteresting in it all. as I erature of one's own one should. judge by) seem to have done at time and place, but. it seems to geinfected by too much viewil first, I have preferred will oftenr, I think, have of the worst. And recently to make quail- only a short-term vital - have al -o used the tative distinctions with- ity-if it is not taken articles as a reference I ' in one artist's work, or while it's hot it won't diary to equip the Gal- between artists, using be worth taking at all. lery to answer such the familiar At any rate these diffi- trying requests as or foreign, as reference cult problems concern - "thirty avant-garde Points. ing art in a provincial artists aged 28 or less situation will be a for an exhibition in the major topic for me to country," or "six con- investigate in America servative artists over 50," or "what good gum -tree painters are still alive.' It's been a constant surprise to find that a newspaper should pay me for writing up part of the Art Gallery's work, and that so much pure recording should be thought read- able. In fact it is country and interstate readers that have been es- pecially grateful for this record of what goes on, for they are glad to take it all in one week- end gulp, when they would never dream of hunting through the daily papers. My articles have de- liberately tried to m'. entertainment with the information, though goodness knows wheth- er anyone but myself ever found anything funny in them. Intentions Looking through some old reviews I find that they have been much better in the past year or so. This may be due to a shift from careful explanation of an artist's or a move- ment's intentions. to oc- casional speculation on the real content; a shift which came when several artists admitted that although their conscious intentions were worth considera- tion they were much more interested in extra suggestions as to what the work was about. I find also that I have become much more dis- contented with local art, and have clutched more at the foreign ex- hibitions recently. The week in r By Daniei Thomas At all times I have taken great care never to pontificate-never to say "this is good," but instead to say, "I be- lieve this to be good." Thus, when I am wrong it will only be one in- dividual that has mis- led you, not a voice seeming to speak for the whole world of art, Further, I have taken care to identify my own personal responses: no- body can honestly re- spond to all kinds and styles of art. (I do not mean old versus new. There is no difficulty in enjoying both, I mean basic things like tonalism versus linear - ism.) And those who have not identified their personal re- soonses. 11 only to themselves, cannot help but make shakier judg- ments for their readers. Consequently I have become more willing to try and make others share my enthusiasms. And those Who have gradually learnt to enjoy Fairweather after 15 years of steady praise from Paul Hae- fliger, Wallace Thorn- ton, Laurie Thomas, and lately myself and others, will probably admit that this rude slow process is, after all, the one for which they most value, their newspaper critics. From the names that recur in my articles over et r%