Daniel Thomas : Newspaper writings

"TELEGRAPH'. Sydney, N.S.W. The Week in Art by Daniel Thomas 14 ACCIDENTAL ART FESTIVAL QUITE by chance Sydney's Y spring festival, Waratah Week, finds itself equipped with a festival of outstanding art exhibitions. The Waratah campeUtion Itself, from Tuesday, being an outdoor show, may not of course have outstanding works submitted to the risk of Sydney weather, but it always has great gaiety. The substantial prizes do entice a good niunber of professionals out into the open. Then on Thursday there will be the Blake Prize at the Commonwealth Sav- ings Bank in Martin Place. Already there Is the big sculpture show at the Art Gallery of 14.15,W.-the only major sculpture exhibition ever held In Australia. (As background to the recent Henry Moore masterpieces in that show a small photographic exhibit surveying Moore's whole career has been installed in an- other room. It includes as well four small original bronzes.) Already, also, we have Klippel's sculp- tures at Terry Clune's, arguably superior to Chadwick's, ArmRage's and Meadows' pretentious ornamentallam in the British Show, and thereby marking 1963 as the year when an Australian sculptor first made us register his international stature. For further variety of media the Rudy Komori Gallery last week opened the best exhibition of Australian printmak- ing we have seen, with a selective group of seven Melbourne artists. CELEBRATION The most celebratory exhibition, how- ever, la Colin Lanceley's at the Hungry Horse. Although we first saw him 18 months ago when he was one of the "Imitation Realists," his alms were then less well realised by the muddler technique. (Yet 'Glad Family Picnic," reappearing here, buds very well: the squashed cans of which It is largely made give it a satis- factory unity of "handling," and they are disposed with a fine sweep more typical of his new work than was the old all-overlahness.) Although his five pictures in the Rubinstein Scholarship recently revealed his great progress-they are all here again-the is a whole one-man show this first) and it unmistakably an- nounces his arrival as one of Australia's important artists. Te' is one reason for celebration. A, ler reason is that everything has gone ht. one can hardly point to a failu .ywhere in the show. Thu is an insouciant freshness exactly comparable with Nolan's when he was Lanceley'a age. Unlike the impressionists he incor- porates some of these sources of inno- cent pleasure into the picture in actual- ity, but, It la no great step from repre- senting flags and medals and dolls to using the objects themselves. I do not think there is much reproach for a deliberately wasteful society in these pictures. The retrieved objects in the enormous "Ethos" become neutral. They are artist's materials, as beautiful but no more moralising than paint, or else they are transformed by pictorial metaphor, and become cheerful grace notes. In most Of the other pictures the objects remain themselves, and are to be enjoyed for themselves. JUNK One should point out that Minix], who also uses unk, it in a com- pletely differen way. His small sculptures of welded metal- work have no built-in message from the old typewriter bits (and yet-the beauti- ful still movement contained in the disk-harrow wallplece immediately spoke of my farming childhood, arid I would guess its buyer must have been a senti- mental farmer). They are purely abstract. The Junk is nothing more than the medium best suited for Slippers "drawings in space," as Gonzales culled his welded sculptures. Gonzales, a friend of Picasso, Initiated direct welding es fine art in the late 'twenties. Klippel's artistic pedigree is quite different. It is literary and associative. There is nothing in common between Klippel and Lanceley but their use of junk, and their excellence. ORIGINAL PRINTS The Melbourne printmakers at Rudy Komon's will be mentioned next week. Meanwhile I recommend the final week at the Workshop Arts Centre of Elizabeth Rooney's etchings; whimsical line, clear social comment on suburbia, delightful. Prices 3-6 guineas, ONE-MAN SHOWS Margaret 011ey sends to the Macquarie 24 oils from Brisbane. With Donald Friend and Ray Crooke she makes up our Tropical School. The still -lifts of flowers are sensitive and beautiful; the figure subjects strangely leaden in tone (Brisbane is always overcast I find, though) and summary in execution and composition. Prices 25-150 guineas. Gerard Havekes at Farmers has over 30 paintings £20 to £200 (some very big) and some ceramic tile wall decorations and one unexpected terracotta head of an elegant lady with a long slim neck. WHAT'S ON TODAY ONLY 30M, Mittegong: Anne., exhibition, pottery, wearIng, carpentry. 2-5 PH. TODAY AND MIXT Will Are Gallery at N.S.W., Special mhiblelonee Recent WHOM licualptune.(Hnry Moore, Hepworth, P010... Henry Moors (small Imam, mice, phoeograPne) Spacial display: Margaret Preston. ALL NEXT WOOK Glum: Rebore KlIppel, sculpture and mirages. Hungry Harem Colin Canceler, assemblage paintings. Komori: Itudlo Ons.. Hewn Melbourne printmakers). Gerardga Oley, antings. Farmers: Harekes, paintings and ceramic rnmele. Workshop Arts Cotter,. 33 L41.1111 street, Willoughby: Elleeboth 'Rooney. EtchIngs 1949-63. UNESCO Child AN Daily 10-4, lemmings 7.9, Olt0P1 TomMe. beturolot Dominion: Flowerpimes and Hymn. Crane,, Wollongong: Gino Sanguinetit, sculpture. Louis, Laichherdt Street, Derlinghurse: Milted MOW. Walk Gallery, Homely: Mixed show (Saturdays 10.4). Von lerlouch, Hammel*: Pater and Ursula Laverty. OPENING TUEDAY Hyd. Park, Waralah Feetivel. open-air art coSmpetition. OP Remy Stern:oINING WEDNESDAY Oen Hall paint:n. OPINING THUSDY Commonwealth Serino lank, Martin Mace: Shako Prise for Rollotowe Art. 4,04,11,1,141..144,04.41MII.~....4.4. SUNDAY ,TELEGRAPH, 'OCTOBER 6, 1963 ..71 "Over the Horse and Under the Trapeze" by Colin Lanceley. Hungry Horse Gallery.