Daniel Thomas : Newspaper writings

"TELEGRAPH" Sydney, N.S.W. 12 nr7 Those competitions I DON'T approve of art competi- tions, yet I've judged three in the last fortnight. Sometimes it's a way of getting a public col- lection together, and I'm all in favor of that, even U a prize exhibi- tion open to all a hen efficient and more chancey way of form- ing a good collection than an Invitation ex- hibition from which purchases are promised to certain amount. That way, too, you avoid the undignified suggestion that some works of art are better than others. They are, of course. But some- times the differences In kind are so extreme that the wort of two artists can no longer be compared - and they should always be at this level when museum ac- guiltiest is being con- sidered. After all, a work of art is by defini- tion unique. and unique things cannot be com- pared. LISMORE LIECMORE in northern '- New South Wales was my first trip. An extremely fertile hilly landscape, jungle Win- ging to the gullies, houses on stilts like Queensland. But the legs arc for floods, and the small sky art col- lection is still housed in flood -prone building. the Mayor's announce- ment that a new art gallery would be built was welcome news. Already the collection contains excellent works by artists with local as- sociations - Margaret 011ey, Douglas Watson - and some earlier works. by Lloyd Rees Longstaff. An annual art prize has given patchy value, usually best when unpopular at the time of the prize, like an important early Molvig or some fine watercolors by Hector Gilliland. Maybe my prize award to Peter Powditch for a near - nude cutout will also take time to mature. It seemed very suitable for the North Coast surf -and-dairy scene. It was the best coun- try exhibition I've judged, ..ide ranging Iron conservative land- scape by Dora Toovey to triangular hard-edge canvases by Joe Szabo. Lismore is lucky to have so efficient an art com- mittee, for It Is not easy to persuade art- ists to send good work 600 miles out of town, lucky to have such good artists as Michael John Taylor teaching in the town, and lucky to have so delightful a group of local amateurs, all doing their own very independent thing. They may be dairy farmers, but they're not a bit like cows. CORIO A A NOTHER trip, to Geelong, to judge the Corlo Whisky which is acquisitive for the Geelong Art Gal- lery. I liked Corlo Villa, the famous pre-fab house of the 18506, in curt-iron lace and mice:Mg. I especially liked fife new monu- ments of industry, seemingly mile - long hangars crouching low, for wheat storage; or the oil refinery's road - 'scientist night - time kinetic glitter; or the dayglow yellow earth- works of great moun- tains cg sulphur, neatly framed at the ground with timbers; or some old gasometers, dark green and rust -orange. I didn't care for the ART with Daniel Thomas hugely increased air Po The Geelong Art Gal- lery's collection hos al- ways been on the map: McCubbin, Bunny. Bla- mire Young and especi- ally Walter Withers cannot be known pro- perly without knowing .M.eloriga paintings,(Hirschfeld-Mack who should be there is not.) Now in its fifth year the Corlo Whisky Prize (I awarded 11 to Paul Patter) was an exhibi- tion of big -city quality. Yet the prize money is only 41000, and no transport costs are paid. Why such splendid entry? Perhaps because Victoria, unlike New South Wales. has very few art prizes to com- pete for the artists' at- tention. Perhaps be- cause Geelong is close to Melbourne, and It Is in fact easier to drive there from Melbourne than to Parramatta from Sydney. (Partos's fragile see-through slab, of nylon on a tall narrow stretcher. tra- velled there In swans- down bedding, in the artist's own personal care). Perhaps mainly because the previous *1m -winning pictures have been seen as the beginning of signifi- cant collection; late 1960s Australian paint- ing as well as Walter Withers now demands a trip to Geelong. To be in good company. in a significant museum col- lection, decently hous- ed, is tempting for an artist as well as money, and the proepect can oompenesate for the transport costs. And why has the col- lection of Whisky prize- winners begun to look significant? I think it's because the judges have always been art mus- eum staff, directors or (better) curators. Other judges are all right for non-acquisitive prizes, but obviously art mus- eum people are better at choosing for perman- ent collections, whose significance is for the future as well as for today. Besides Partos's cheer, sungistive, beauty there were museum - worthy paintings by many others. Realism by Peter Powditch, ab- stract visual teasing* by Tl Parks, abstract - expressionism by Ron Lambert and John Howley, post -painterly hard-edge abstraction by a majority. There Is Geelong style: sev- eral local artists shar- ed a delicate. caress- ing scratchiness and soft color, and the best of them, and presum- ably Its cause was Katrina Rumley. CHRISTI) nN Christo's try -out day I helped cover few rocks, tied some knots, as river of woven - straw plastic came down a gully at Little Bay. The plas- tic's color Is excellent. geologically correct for Sydney sandstone; the ropes are orange. It's strange beauty pleased the local rock -hoppers and cartage - gropers too. (The ate ig either rock or garbage dump. so the packing is beautification project. I saw one tuft Ot gram, with some flannel flowers. and I under- stand 1t will be kW. ex- posed.) In a week or more It should be finished and open to view. Last week the Wars- tah Festival art Peer contained wrap-up. Chr sculpture titled " ato.- EXHIBITIONS MICHAEL TAYLOR (Wattcrs) must be Australia's best ab- stract expressionist. His is almost the only painting In the Art Gal- lery of New South Wales that I find good enough to hang be. side Ralph Batson. The new paintings ar e mostly similar to the Sydney one, ecstatic- ally delicate creamy foams and skins of grey, occasionally with a whip-line or jab. But the purchase for the Australian National Gallery, Canberra, Is a change, the six equal vertical divisions imply visual interchangeabil- ity and indefinite ex- tension. His art has subtlety, suppleness, grace, and strength. I love it. MITTAGONG MISTAKE last week. The annual craft exhibition at Shirt Is this weekend. Go today. WHAT'S ON Art Gallery of N.S.W.: Lloyd Rees 1913-1969. David Jones: Rodin sculptures (20 cents, groups by appoint- ment). Hyde Park: Mirror- Waratah art prizes (last day). Commonwealth Sav- ings Bank, Martin Place: Blake Prize (till Wednesday). Artarmon: Sall Her- man. Clone: Rupert Bun- ny. Macquarie: Carington Smith water colors, Jeffrey Makin pastels. Central Street: Rol- lin Schllcht Walters: Michael Taylor. Stern: Mixed. Gallery A: Parton, Wright, Steiner, T. Johnson. Bonython: R. Lynn, Glicsistein-Shagyroe R Moores's, 0. H. MoEwen: kina ilk -mania (Wed.). Homan: hem Oleg- hom Bel dsw orth : Robert Brown, David McInnes (Toes.). F. Jones: Mabel Hawkins. M. Chapman: Joan Bengtsson. Rocks: Piers Bourke. Cascade: Mixed, Prowls: Paddington Print Studio. Strawberry B 1 1 I: Brian Stratton, A. & R. DyMurbka. Patten: 4 Potters. k Mit Graft exhibition (today only). Berrims Gallery: Berrima Prize. Westfield Plass, Hornsby: Westfield Prize. Macquarie, Canberra: "Adventure an CePe York." Sculpture Gallery Canberra: NInette Dut- ton, enamels. Hayloft, Bathurst: Peter Travis etc. Von Rertoach. New - re: Charles Pettin- gNewenstle (Sty Art Gallery: Japanese ProserWations Gallery.