Daniel Thomas : Newspaper writings

"TELEGRAPH" I ; Sydney, N.S.W. The Week in Art by Daniel Thorns NO new major exhibitions opened this week, but the numerous art dealers' shows maintain an active and necessary background. Several interstate artists have been brought to Sydney. The most important ex hibition to see at present is the Melbourne "Rebels and Precursors" (nos in its final week), for Stephen Weikel 's sculpture at Farmer's is now closed. Like last year's Walker's was an exhibition of large wood -carvings and small bronzes. Their craftsman- ship was a delight, but formally they seem more exploratory and manipula- tive, more based on the properties of his materials and techniques than on any inner conception of his own. Yet they are good and we have only one or two sculptors of which this can be said. Walker lives in Tasmania and now uses Tasmanian biackwood and Huon pine. Andrew Sibley. who won the Tratuifield Prize, lb now signed up by Rudy Komon, where he is showing whimsical near-abstract Queensland genre paint- ings and some crucifixions. Two or three that may be completely abstract (It takes time to discover the figures) are as satisfactory as anything I have seen from this prolific but still arti promstising young Brisbane "Summer Lawns" and "The Doctrine" have quite lovely color schemes and rhythmic spatial effects. Two other young artists, from Wollongong, were at Barry Stern's. Frank El- liott and Ron Lambert are agreeably bustling in their symbolic abstraction. Elliott's "Inner Dwelling." many small elements uni- fied in subtle greys and whites, and his Junk relief of dirty old boards and tin cans (no paint; Imita- tion Realists take note) showed real sensitivity. The Dominion Galleries are now showing paintings by William Degan. He was a member of the Dunmoo- chin Orem) formed around Clifton Pugh, and his work has reminiscences of Pugh, Blackman, Boyd, but mostly of Perceval. This could be because he is, like Perceval, an open- air painter who works di- rectly from nature and at high speed (a couple of the pictures have been tossed in bush and still have rather nice gum - I leaves and grasses stuck on). It Is always interesting to be reminded of Melbourne's very different attitudes from ours, but such spon- taneous expressionism is a hit and miss affair. "Bankslas" is a hit, but most are misses. Barn Pulihrook at the Macquarie is an accom- plished painter, but he is another who reminds one of other artists. There Is a little of Nolan's knowing naivete. and a lot of,Drya dale's subject matter. These are romantic pic- tures of aborigines in the red outback, apparently in the far North West, dig- ging for gold which comes In little glittering specks. They all wear rather fetching red, orange. lemon or apricot shirts and blous- es-most attractive but al- most too charming. The painting Is loose and free; there are none of the sharply outlined, flat pat- tern pictures seen pre- viously. MELBOURNE If anyone is visiting Melbourne there is an interesting exhibition, "Religious Art in our Time," at St. Peter's Hall, Gisborne Street, East Melbourne, un- til October 21. Paintings by Nolan, Boyd. French, Malt. O'Brien and others have been lent from public and private collections, and Perceval has a "Christ Dining with the Publicans and Sinners at Young and Jacksons." "Chloe" is in- cluded. PERTH The big exhibition of Australian paint- ings being sent to the Tate Gallery in Lon- don is at present on view In Perth. It will close on October 24. Jean Bellette, Donald Friend, Leonard Hessing, Justin O'Brien, Stan Rapotec, Bill Rose Jeff Smart. Frances Smith, Tom Thompson and Fred Wil- liams have been added to the contemporary section since It was shown in Adelaide. The "Link Artists" have gone, and G. P. Angas and Colonel Light have been added to the Colonial sec- tion. MAGAZINES The Tate Gallery ex- hibition in Perth is re- viewed in the latest 41.*- WHAT'S ON? TODAY AND NEXT WEEK Art Gallery of N.S.W. Special Exhibition, Rebels and Precursors (final week) Pre- Raphaelite Art. ALL NEXT WEEK Komon: Andrew Sibley. Macquarie: Sam Fulibrook. Dominion: William Degan. Frances Jones Studio: Jean Isherwood. OPENING WEDNESDAY Ster.1: Leonora Howlett and Frank Chicken. Beard Watson: Early Australian Prints. Mune: Voss Smith collection (Tuesday, 6 p.m., preview for Gallery Society funds 10/). TUESDAr ART FILMS Films on German expressionism, con- temporary art, sculpture at Kassel's Docu- menta. Contemporary Art Society, Adyar Hall, Bligh St., 8 p.m. ssue of "The Critic," an excellent magazine published every three weeks by the Univer- sity of Western Aus- tralia (15/ a year). It gives very full news of art, architecture, thea- tre and music in W.A. One only wishes the other cities had similar pub"ca- tions. From Perth has also come the second issue of the new Western Austra- lian Art Gallery Bulletin. The Adelaide and Sydney Galleries have similar quarterlies and it may not be generally realised that these very cheap publica- tions (subsidised, 2/ each) provide a surprisingly comprehensive view of Australian art. They have many illustrations, mostly of their new acquisitions. The new issue, this week, of the Art Gallery of N.S.W. Quarterly is an ex- ception, for to coincide with the Pre-Raphaelite CARVED human head used during initiation rituals, North-western Australia (From Art of the World: Methuen). exhibition. it discusses some of the Gallery's awn Pre-Raphaelite works. A fat special issue of the "Texas Quarterly" is called Image of Australia, and amongst other articles has Robin Boyd on Architec- ture, and Elwyn Lynn on painting and sculpture. It is luxuriously produced. with many illustrations in- cluding three by the Imi- tation Realists. Published by the University of T as, Austin 12. Texas, U.S.A., single copy 1.50 dollars. . BOOKS Australian aborigi- nal art Is Included in a new volume "Oceania and Austra- lia," in Methuen's "Art of the World" series (price 132/-), Earlier volumes were on Indonesia, India, Chine, Africa, etc. An the il- lustrations are in color, and the book is beauti- fully designed and printed in Holland. O. P. Mount- ford's Australian section Is a concise, clear introduc- tion to the subject. Terry Barrow deals with New Zealand Maori art, and the bulk of the book, by Alfred Buhler, is on New Guinea and the Is- lands. It is particularly in- teresting to see Australian aboriginal art grouped with its neighbors, though there is not much con- nection between them. Hot on the heels of the Russell Drysdale-Jock Marshall book of outback travel comes one by Cyn- thia Nolan, wife of the ex - Australian artist, Sidney Nolan. Called "Outback, It describes a journey they made to the centre and the north in 1958. There are photographs a n d five drawings by Sidney Nolan (Methuen, 44/9).