Daniel Thomas : Newspaper writings

"TELEGRAPH" Sydney, N.S.W. The Week in Art by Daniel Thomas NEW METHODS COME TO OUR ART MARKET Wednesday's sales of Australian paintings at Lawson's again illus- trated a new development in Sydney's art market: the dealer sending in pic- tures from his stock. This did nut happen new, dependably fetching much before the days when 400 each, the highest gen- some dealers began to buy uine sales of the day. paintings outright from the artists, instead of sell- ing on conunission for them. When the storerooms get crowded or when money needs turning over the Stern and the Dominion Galleries have sent a great deal to G. K. Gray's auc- tions recently. Last week a very large number of the pictures were old friends from Rudy Komon's stock: and in consequence it was a much better selection than these sales usually have. But it was not a huge success. Many were bought back by Rudy Komon. A typical but not outstand- i Mg 1944 Arthur Boyd was not released at 400 gns., nor was a four foot explor- er's head by Nolan at 950, nor was a B x 5 Condor, withdrawn when no one was willing to start bidding at 500. The proper price would be nearer the 85 paid for the Stratton 9 x 5, or the 50 for another Streeton at Coleman Page some months ago. The greedy owner of a good Blamire Young watercolor hung on to it at 180. and so on for many others. Whiteley's drawings reached rather high prices at 70 to 80, while 18" Kmlt oils retain their value well at the same price. A small- ish Passmore abstract did well at 170. Kenneth Mac - queen's watercolors at 25 to 30, for good typical ex- amples, surely indicated an ignorant market. The lesson: If a dealer has good Molvigs, Black - mans, Kemps and Fren- a pot to }knowledge its ches he would do better,If originally were' purpose, he can afford it, to sit on Would the ancient Cy- them and let them in- riots, whose milk -jars In crease In value. instead of hoping for quick money at auction, for they will not fetch 200. Among the older artists, 10 Charles Bryants went from 10 to 35 guineas: a Norman Lindsay pin-up in oils was referred at 350; a good He ya en Flinders Range watercolor was re- ferred at 125. So they are not holding up too well either. Though there Is the strange case of Albert Sherman. whose dingy flowerpleces are never seen anywhere but at Lawson's auctions. Here there were two, presumably brand large and devoted band. WHAT'S ON .. A very immature Stree- ton, 1886, but of some documentary interest, was cheap at 75 gns. An un- catalogued -Nude with Red Hair," by }Prater was a delicious object, unwant- ed by anybody. Marea Gazzard Mares Gazzaid, at the Hungry Horse, helps the local ceramic renaissance, with an exhibition of 56 terracotta pots from 8 to 40 guineas, She goes back to really primitive times, before the invention of the potter's wheel, and builds her bowls and jars labori- ously, coil upon coil of clay. The open vessels - bowls, kraters-have pearly white -glazed interiors; the narrow -mouthed ones are glazed brown inside. Ex- teriors are unglazed and usually (and preferably) darkened by miming with oxide. There is no decora- tion at all. Part of the appeal is the utterly direct connection txtween maker and object: is direct as between a painter and his picture surface. By comparison wheel -thrown pots can seem mechanical. But the appeal also is in the forms, which also seem best when simplest, like the kraters, or the floor pots. Attractive and off-oeat as the leaning. undulating - 'hunted chalices ..re, one IS suspicious ,heoretically, on princirl, of such soph- istication, and one prefers he British Museum the potter long admired, ever have let a lopsided pot survive? The show reveals nevertheless an extremely serious and evolving sensi- bility independent of fash- ion. These pots are time- less enough to deceive a future archeologist digging In the ruins of Sidney. Orban Studio At the Education De- partment Gallery, Bridge Street, is the 22nd Annual Exhibition of students at the Orban art school. A TODAY AND NEXT WICK a Art Alarer 4r/in:X.; ,tt.t,r,:!1 aLA t ow slim.* VINO., Neweentle City Art Gallery: Auetrallan and New rW and Potter} ALL 11115T WICK Ream Herm Carl Mau, pa Immo; Marta G ..... d. Denary. Meld Jews: Ten outman* nd under. Macquarie; Enid Cmarldge, waterOolort, gamete. Dimlnlem Ronald Kirk , R. Moulleolers, AI fatten Department Gallery, Rettig@ Sl. eel: The Green Sluts ART...ere, Ammon: Ml tad flower Dale, ruse. Stull. IV, IdeetIlrf: Lucy and Hatton Beek, pante, Walk Gallery, IN Colin Parker, tilltnV not PouglitS Rem. Erato), hand prinsod Volt Hsu dl, NesetaStle: IS au eseS and under. Werhehey Atte Centre, Willoughby: Child art Crane, Well Dr Harry C. NlIttlon CollscPon OPENING WEDNESDAY Rudy Penton: Fourth AnnIstesnry Show Tow, clone: The Vecoun. colmetten Parry Stern: Anton, Murre. Sculpture; Charles 11.0111. drawin,s of 00..en erChtCtur. Wales House ArchItcktrel Posters, arranged ky RA111 OPINING FRIDAY la Nuys a hn`,":!. dte 3.,11,r yen iletteuth, Newcastle I t anon 0,,,,P1 LowsP. SOW,. . POT . . by GAZZARD some young, many middle- aged, have produced 170 paintings. And even when they are very large they might still be only 12 guin- eas, as in Jonathan Wens - borough's "I n terio r." Strangely, the abstracts are often tired and academic, while the nudes and still - tires are fresh, Besides Wansborough other names to note are C. McDonald, G. Braund, John Nemes they might be important painters some day. Enid Cambridge This very distinguished watercolorist's first one- man show for some time, is now at the Macquarie. There are pleasant London sketches In her familiar pen or pencil and wash; there are three unfamiliar pastels on a brown ground (apparently the smooth side of Mason- ite). More interesting is the new liberation from the line that comes In broadly brushed pure wash, preferably in the bright- est colors, as in "Sunset." The unevenness of the work in pure wash suggests that the artist is not work- ing as steadily as the fruits of spontaneity re- quire. If the old safe discipline of perfected drawing no longer pleases her, there is promise of development in another discipline. For the first time an oil painting Is shown. A large vivid, sunny, Philip Suttony In- terior, it has a spatial problem with nn airborne .ofa, but for fresh airiness, who in Sydney could match It? It Is a pleasure to see again this civilised art of the pre-abstract days. Prices eight to 80 guineas. Dominion Gallery At the Dominion are two artists. Ray Moultspiers, Canadian, has stickily ro- mantic pictures of North Queensland tropical land- scapes, or stagey animals and other objects In the outback. One can admire the extent of his travel- ling, but not his painting, which is only amateurish. Ronald Kirk Is from Melboutne, and no ama- teur. Indeed the pictures that go back to 1067 (none are dated more recently than 1062) show a very promising student, tack- ling elaborate composi- tional problems with suc- cess, and wit, in "Home- work" and "Gossiping." In the same year I believe he upset Weep by winning Its art competition. Since then he has set- tled Into a pale khaki world of quiet farmyard activities, which almost pretend to stiff folk -art naivete. Wagga might like them; they do have some personal quality; but per- haps they are a little dull. Prices 45 to 100 guineas. "Interior" . . . by CAMBRIDGE