Daniel Thomas : Newspaper writings

"IELEGRAPH" Sydney, N.S. W 2 2 MAh 1963 sur The Week in Art by Daniel Thomas an architect, though he is best known for his geodesic domes and the Dyma x ion house. At hie lectures he made no mention of beauty, yet the fact remains that his revolutionary tension structures are extra- ordinarily beautiful. He look obvious pleasure in the success of his design revolution for Its own sake, but clearly It all had the primary aim of social betterment. Perhaps he is a William Morris of our century, a great social reformer, working in the main- stream of technology in- stead of Morris' blind alley of handcraft. but like Morris in love with nature. Instead of applying botani- cal ornament to objects he makes machines whose structure is Mennen' with natural structures; his geodesic dome for example is nature's way of con- structing the cornea of the human eye. This kind of In Melbourne, at the nature -lover is almost South Yarra Gallery. unique, and his visit was Charles Blackman has his a tremendous experience first major one-man show for Sydney. of paintings since he left Henry Salkauskas' first Australia four years ago on the Rubinstein Travelling Scholarship. These pic- tures sent from London, most of which must return there for his Whitechapel retrospective, show a great Improvement on his last Australian work. Where once there were single heads of girls, mere recep- tacles as Bob Hughes said for any stray thoughts one had about lonely girls, we now have pictures with some formal as well as sen- timental interest. The lovely Silent Moment, for example, combines two figures into a complex and rewarding arrangement, rewarding to the eye as well as the emo- tions. Others employ a small lozenge check patterning to unify two figures, or to denote tension between them (sometimes too, the check does not relate to the rest at all). Others again may depend upon Arthur Boyd. for the double image faces are in- creasing and faces emerge from the bunches of flow- ers. But Blackman uses his influences well and is Probably better off in Lon- don with more to feed on than here. His drawings were always more personal than the paintings; some of their qualities enter the new paintings, and the exhibi- tion also includes many actual drawings. THE week's main event was the visit to Sydney by Buckminster Fuller, a major prophet of our time. He aim himself an one-man show for two agreeable and resonant in Its minor key, surprising because Alyeo's place in the history of our art seemed that of the very quick-witted amateur, a useful avant-gardist. No longer an avant gai dist, painUng quietly for him- self, there are genuine small pleasures here. Explorer -Scientist, notyearsou fa his howperdiginmaiburnegakainng watercolor techniques into a couple of oil paintings- unsuccessful and watery as yet. It also showed that even in his brilliant water- colors he perhaps is too concerned with techniques, though a few did have the crosses and squares enter- ing them that spoke so clearly as images In his prints (all serigraphs, no linocuts any more). The prints are marvellous as prints, but go much further than mere techni- cal interest, both in the old abstract expres sionist examples and in the new near-hard-edge ones. They are emblems of strength largeness and generssity, yet somehow graceful and gentle. They are pictures of goodness and purity. A traveller improves "Amateur" no more At the Clone Galleries are 22 recent (198043) watercolors by Sam Atyeo, is pioneer of abstract painting in Melbourne in the 'thirties, now long re- sident in France, whence this exhibition is sent via John Reed's Museum in Melbourne. They are mostly free- form abstract surrealist landscapes, sometimes with figures, though only one puts a realistic nude into a pearl shell. Another with black tree stumps framing a blazing red sun may be an ironic gesture to Australian art. Perhaps the most interesting are a couple - "Jungle," "Cliff Edge" - where independ- ent Baslotesque signs enter the landscape. His color is often surprisingly What's on TODAY AND NIAT Wile An Gallery el N S.W.: Mewl:Lion. ler 1%)., ALL NEXT Will Ana and C.D. Parleloo. SSSSS 'wads Layer woe "enema.. Tema Clew. Sam so Alyea. Lamed Easter EshIblilen. Marry Dorn: A. Graphic Swell/ d JanwIl*, Purnell. Prwws Jones Studio: Irene Wood. Poem, and lendficape pamlinee S V.. &enema. G&W,. Newasele: NH110 Imre, pemi.ne . OPINING TUISOAT Whom None. Stan Rape... OPINING WIDNISIDAT ad m lurZtr Gap"".: Jan n k4*Iel Gr.y.StrIlit, peomines, pottery, row° a "THE SILENT MOMENT", by Charles Blackman, at Melbourne's South Yarra Gallery. The Macquarie Gallery has an excellent mixed Easter exhibition. Fair - weather's "War And Peace" frieze heads the list. Con- nor ("Woolloomooloo Bay" panorama), Milgate, Bor- lase. Louis James, Guy Warren *watercolors) are all as usual. From Melbourne are the less familiar Ken Whisson with old-fashioned near - surrealist figures standing sinfully on a beach, and Erica McOilchrist recently returned from Germany with an abstract surrealist mood -piece in strong Ger- man colors. And Michael Taylor, a N.S.W. Govern- ment Scholarship winner, shows two works, the first seen since his return, straightforward painterly abstract expression i s m, "Summer Love" a pleasant small horizontal, "Nude" a large non-figurative and rather floppily cursive exercise, perhaps in deli- berate avoidance of De Kooning's structure when De Kooning may still be a major influence, The Macquarie's previous exhibition was Herbert Flugalman's one-man show of formularised non-figu- rative 'Landscapes," "Still. Liles" and "Figures." De- iressingly devoid of great nner necessity, Landscape 17 offered a welcome change, and Figure 19, large Appelilh on a red ground offered promise of drama. But like Joe Rose maybe back to realism might be better, The Stern Gallery cur- rently has two exhibitions. The South Australian (graphic Arts Society groups eight printmakers and one photographer who work in Adelaide. Their standards are perhaps higher than ours in Syd- ney, and they do have a thence of using the classic techniques of lithography and etching-. There are a few serigraphs, btnot on handcrafted linuocunt or woodcut (to be fair, etch- ing and Lithographic press- es, and classes are, or Will soon be available this year at East Sydney, at Mary White's, and at the Work- shop Arts Centre). Consistent performers H 44444 ...... H ...... ...... HISHYS Schepers, Kempf, Brown and Leach-Jones are the consistent performers, with Leach-Jones the more In- dependent in his imagery. Ferguson and Boynes, two younger artists, scored hits with "Dawn" and "Orange and Brown Organisms." Prices are sensibly lower than for Sydney prints. Six to 18 guineas. Downstairs are fairly large landscapes and In- teriors, boldly painted in enamels, and tending to a pink and light grey palette. The painter Jetudfer Pur- nell is an art teacher at Frensham School, with a teacher's dependability and skill, and a sensibility to space In her views through verandahs and doors. Ex- cept for the amateurs or the cotnmercials one real- ises that very few artists are painting this sort of thing today; most teachers are off on to empty ab- streets, or else not paint- ing much at all. Here is realism, quiet, not admit- tedly very important, but decent, and by no means dowdy. Prices 20 to 1001 guineas. it