Daniel Thomas : Newspaper writings

"TELEGRAPH" Sydney, N.S.W. 29 JUN 196g Embassy' MOST Embassies and Consulates busily promote their national culture, and we are art suitably grateful for the art exhibitions that result. But mostly they send prints and drawings, far. ease of transports. like the Austrian Peter Klittch, recently at Ko- mons, or the Yugosla- vian Petlevski, now at the Macquarie. The only official Unit- ed States show we've had was of decidedly unmemorable prints, for the great 'Two Decades of American Painting" was not an embassy in- itiative. We've had prints from Canada, Russia, Eng- land, Germany, Switzer- land, Brazil (though Brazil also brought out difficult bulky sculp- tures, not seen In Syd- ney). Or else they send a round -up of their con- temporary, trends, like the Imminent French and Malaysian ones that are having trouble find- ing exhibition space in Sydney. ART with Daniel Thomas Britain, of course, through its British Council, has sent us more than any other country, but even their contributions have al- most always been con- temporary. The embassies, in fact, have almost never sent anything resemb- ling great ar,. There were token Matisses and Picassos in an uneven French show of 1953, but the only superstars we've ever had were in the early 1900s. Then Turner's oils and water- colors came from Eng- and contemplated only on special occasions, but their style seems scar- cely to differ from that of the scrolls. No art is more artistic than Japanese art, that land; and a marvellous is more mannered, arti- group of Van Goghs /idol, or abstract. No - and Mondrians from body can leave such the Netherlands. large areas of email - The suitable response ness, or pile on such a to all these embassies load of ornament. sug- should be moderate geSt an much with gratitude, and a hope single brush-mark, in - for bigger and better traduce such wilful things in the future. asymmetries. Diplomatic cocktails are CLUNE all right, but sometimes THE portraits of col - we'd like to be given a onial children, Ed - dinner. wardian children, and PRINTS mid -twentieth century THERE are two quite Australian children are large print exhibitions a delight, especially the f r o in England and two Edwardian by E. Japan at, Macquarie Phillips Fox. University's Library and Drysdale and Dobell the Komori Gallery rc- are there too, but the spectively, A n other exhibition is centred smaller mixod show Ls upon a watercolor draw - at the Howell Gallery, log of the Clamor It's good but familiar, twins. about 1840, by T. most of the artists and G. Wainewright, some of the actual He was a convict art - prints having been seen 1st in Hobart, believed In previous dealers' or (falsely) to have been museums' e x h ibitlons a poisoner; the little over the past 10 years. girls are his prison The British show is keeper's daughters and from the British Coun- they died young. A ner- d], and is available for feet Wuthering Heights tour; the Japanese is mixture of emotional for sale, prices $40 to frissons for the Roman. $120, . tic Period, for they are By now one is stir- ideally innocent, pretty, prised how much ab- and gentle. street expre.ssionLsse Less familiar, and and texture was at- much less good, are por- tempted on the flat traits In oil (1843 and paper of prints; and 1880) by the little - how It was either a known Sydney artists failure (Alan Davie) or Joseph Beater and else a perverse triumph John Noble. (liagiwara). YUGOSLAVIA Prints seem best A T the Macquarie when they accept the 4-1- Galleries are two limitations of a sheet of Yugoslavians, Ant e paper, and either re- Dabro came here two semble drawings (Abe, years ago and lives in Hackney, Sutherland) or play with flat pat- Canberra. His heavy wooden'" - terns (Paolozzi-a mas- Inge In a chunky cubist ter of modern print- making - Allan Jones, style are In exactly the Robyn Denny). same taste as nearly all the public sculpture al- JAPAN ready in that city. Orion Pettey:4d lives AT David Jones are eight Japanese In Zagreb and his draw - screens, of the 17th and into, screenprints, lino - 18th centuries. Most are cuts and Woodcuts were six -fold and about 5ft. brought out with his high; all are in ink and embassy's assistance. colors on paper or on Although s m o oth- silver leaf or gold leaf. surfaced, they glve an Illusion of b r 1 stly, Presumably these de- wrinkled, organic tex- corated room dividers tures, like the paintings were meant to be looked from Poland that were at more often than being noticed a few' scroll - paintings, which were to be unrolled year,s,ago. Prices $80 to 9200.