Daniel Thomas : Newspaper writings

4- 66 SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, MY 22, 1962 THE art of Japan has always seemed effortless and perfect MorP,Wilful than that' a China, it nevertheless remains an art of insouciant gond taste. Brilliant tech-- nique seldom becomes an end in itself, seldom overbears the imagery. Such non- chalance is the despair of plodding Westerners. The exhibition of modern Japanese prints which has opened its Austra- lian tour at the Art Gallery of New South Wales, Is a singingly light-hearted affair, and is the snappiest and most enjoyable exhibition planned for Sydney this year. There are nearly a hun- dred large original prints by thirty -Lour contempor- ary Japanese artists. Some of the artists were represented in the Mac- quarie Galleries' Japanese exhibition in April: a few were In the huge exhibition of Japanese art (paintings, pottery, prints, textiles. lacquer, metalwork) which toured the State galleries four years ago. The Present allowing has many more prints. and a wider range of them. Unlike the Macquarie Galleries exhibition, which was of woodblock prints only, here there are litho- graphs etchings, stencils and silk screens, though naturally the woodcut pre- dominates. The woodcut, after all, is the traditional Japanese print medium. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries such great ar- tists as Utamaro, Hokusal and Hiroahige designed for it. Then, however, it was a frankly popular art, un- appreciated by Japanese connoisseurs, though much admired in the West froth Whistler's time onwards. Moreover, the artist then left it to other craftsmen to cut the woodblocks, and to _print. Today, printmaking has prestige within Japan as well as abroad, Western techniques such as etching have been introduced, and the artists now carry out the whole process them- selves. In consequence, there is a great deal of technical experiment, superb papers are used, there is deep em- bossing, and multiple printing in colors to give wonderfully subtle textures. Some exceedingly clever woodcuts imitate etchings (susuki), or Mathieu's ac- tion paintings (Hodaka Yoshida). or torn paper collages (Maki); there are even references to the thickly loaded paintings of Tapies. A more tremulous sensi- bility is shown by the ex- quisite work of Gen Yama- guchi and of Junichiro Se- klno. They and others de- monstrate an ancient Javanese awareness of the Universal profundities to be sensed from the con- templation of a single twig or a batch of grass. More prints MODERN Australian prints are flourishing at present, too. Four printmakers from Sydney iSalkauskas, Gould, Hoc - ken, Kubbosi have oven invited to participate 10 the international print competition to be held ii, Tokio in October. Pan-American Airways luxurious Southern Cross Hotel, opening In Mel- bourne next month, will have one or two prints by various Sydney printmak- ers in every bedroom. This foreign recognition of our local work might some day, one hopes, be reflected in Sydney itself. Adelaide, the only annual print prize in Australia, was awarded last week to a Sydney artist, Miss Eileen Mayo. Gouaches A T the Macquarie Gal- leries the well-known theatre designer Desmond Digby is showing 33 small varnished gouaches, each accompanied by a two or three-line quotation from Shakespeare. The quotations are rather a load for such charming, jewelled trans- lucencies to carry. It may well be that Mr. Digby has wearied of producing the dazzling little costume studies that have been widely exhibited already. But if this is a public dis- play of his exercises in alternative fields (an ad- mirable activity), one hopes he will shortly return to a franker decoration. The occasional faces that venture from anony- mity into characterisation and specification of fea- tures are not especially successful. He can embel- lish a surface with skill, though when the entire surface is embellished to become an empty land- scape, it seems a bit point- less. I preferred the more faceless figures, tellingly placed in simple land- scapes or interiors. They seemed to be selling beat too. Kiosk VISITORS to the Art Gallery of New South Wales will be pleased to know that, after a long "SHELL KIND," woodcut by Shiko Monokata. closure during construction of the expressway, the kiosk in the Domain by the Gallery is open again. When the roadworkers' huts are removed (next year?) there will be an outdoor cafe with a view down the Harbor. Voss Smith IN Melbourne last week John Reed's Museum of Modern Art of Australia was showing selections from the Voss Smith col- lection. It was a Melbourne private collection, bought by the Terry Olune Gal- leries this year for £30.000 and half of which was pre- sumably resold to Major Rubin, for it was last seen heaped on the floor of his Hungry Horse Gallery. The Australians-Boyd. Tucker, Drysdale, Nolan- had a rough conviction that compared very well with the bland evasion of some of the French pic- tures. True, it was a rare opportunity to see a lot of very good painting, but eventually one can only admire it in the way one admires a good piece of furniture. "WALNUT," etching by Yozo Hamoguchi. dinette Rapp. Michel Ciry, Claude Venard come into this category, together with even less well-known artists such as Valensin, Jouclard, Pigeon and Vignoles. By big names there are small pictures; the merest scribble in colored crayons by Picasso, a tiny Lurcat. a Marie Laurencin draw- ing, a small gouache by Enron). and a most disap- pointing Mathieu, white on black paper. The Piper. Lowry and Killing (a land- scape) were good speci- mens of their kind. What's on: TODAY AND NEXT WEEK Art Gallery of N.S.W. --Special Exhibitions, Modern Japanese Prints; loan collection of oriental ceramics. 2 p.m. -4.30 p.m. today, 10 a.m.-4.30 pin. next week. Coronation Hall, Bar- den St., Arncliffe. - Rockdale Art Prize. 2 P'sn-S p.m. today, 2 p.m:5 p.m. and 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. next week. ALL, NEXT WEEK Macquarle.-Desmond Digby, Shakespeare subjects. University of Sydney Art Gallery.-Dr. J. W. Power, paintings. Komen.-Jon Molvig. OPEHING WEDNESDAY David Jones.-W. D. & H. 0. Wills Art Prize. Barry Stern. - David Rose, paintings. Terry Clune. - Wil- liam Drew. Beard Watson.-Rob- ert Owen. sculpture and hand -made jewel- lery. Art Gal- leries. - New Gallery, 192 Castlereagh Street. To be opened by Mrs. Marcel Dekyvere, 6 .m. Exhibition of paintings "Trends and Developments": Cas- sab, Fluke, Hinder, IevertY, Rose, Fever - ring. Hawking, 00britn.