Daniel Thomas : Newspaper writings

"TELEGRAPH" Sydney, N.S.W. 1,5 a.4 SCULPTURE EXHIBITION rThe week in art By Daniel Thomas Group gains from unity ALTHOUGH it makes a welcome change to have a sculpture ex- hibition instead of paintings, Australian sculpture is, let's face it, nowhere near as healthy as painting, This Is partly because for architectural decoration the patronage that coin- can't help giving birth to missions so much sculpture commercial art, or occa- sionally, good decoration -no more. Scalptures are seldom bought ready made from galleries and put Into pri- vate houses like paintings are; and so domestic pieces don't often get made. Another reason for the depressed state of sculp- tures may be that there aren't many sculptors about anyway, and art only grows front the fer- tile -Bed bed of other art- ists, t teir arguments about each others work, from healthy conflict The five Melbourne sculptors at the Hungry Horse do operate as a group, and the exhibition does show the rewards of group activity. Inge King, Clifford Last and T. Zikaras all seem much better than they used to be. more certain of them- selves, more professional. Zikaras is the least sure, with two totally different styles offering. But Last and King have gained; and. their work has the struc- tural unity essential to sculpture (as of course to any work of art). SEATERS nude in lounge . . . Jomontos. GOLDEN LAND COMES ALIVE THE annual Robin Hood art competition (Commonwealth Savings Bank, Martin Place), judged by Gordon Thomson, Frank Ellis and Elwyn Lynn, is half professional, half for prisoners, psychiatric patients and children. The children are. as always, effortlessly perfect, the patients are hum- blingly intense, and the prisoners create a world of appalling tawdriness anti spiritual desolation. To cross to Fred Wil- liams' winning oil is to escape to a golden land, cleansed by sunshine and air; one can almost smell the grass and gumleaves. It is one of his spotty You Yangs landscapes, in birds -eye view the same one that was seen In the Wynn competition In Jan- uary and subsequently in Adelaide, Melbourne and LRUIICCS1 OIL. I mention this because although it did not get the Wynne prize, I per- sonally felt it should have and now that the familiar- isation process has been at work others have recog- nised his quality. It. still takes time for an original contribution to be recognised, and the three prizes won by Williams in the past two months indi- cate that it takes three or four years, since it was then we first began to see paintings no less good than those so much ad- mired this year. And sometimes the very sante painting seen three years ago and not noticed has reappeared this year to receive Ugh honors. The watercolor section slso had a Ithe decoral Iv.t Louis James. and was won by Henry Salkausas (it must be about his 20th watercolor prize) with a picture that was Judged best in the whole exhibition. Other things to notice were a huge pink "Beach Experi- ence," by Eric Smith, which helped the escape - from - the - prison - world. Ken Reinhard's pop art, and a strong and un- familiar Adelaide setclon with excellent Paddington type abstracts front Karen Srhepers and Franz Kempf. plus a blue and orange hard edge abstract -a magic box? a malevo- lent computer? - by Udo Sellbach. Natural That is Lset's wood- carvings give the impres- sion that tl ey might have gro'.vn naturally, they are convincing as organisms in c same way that a tree, a a fruit has its organic unity. Or King's construc- tions of steel sheets have the same organic convic- tion and rightness as rock crystals, or machines. However both these artists keep very much within the bounds of their chosen material; the material-wood or steel- dictates the forms to be used. Now to submit modestly to one's material is a virtue, the chief virtue in design, but not neces- sarily In art. Great art sometimes submits, but often doesn't. Three centuries ago Bernini used his material, which was marble, not to c-iphasise its stoniness, but as if it were conceived in dashing touches of creamy sculpt Yet he is still a great r. Similarly Joman- tas and Lenten Parr are the most important -of these five Melbourne sculp- tors because they have a formal imagination of their own which they impose upon their material. WHAT'S ON .,. TODAY AND NEXT WICK Netwaelle City Art Gallery, Contenmormy "WS,. an FA ',MA from t. vA [VOW Arrimican Crafts. Papery. me:, es. ie.* 'r,e, Ta'nligUri;."'N.:wani"touls Joe.. pa.Minos, ALL NEXT WEEK Newmant, 212 Caul PrwColumblan art. walk Gmwey, Hornsby: Melbourne"n minimax Hungry Herm: Five Sculptors. Barry Meow Noel Ruble. Little Gallery: Blue Brush. CrnatenerealUr Raab, Marlin Plate: Robin Hood Art Prim. Wrtnhap Arts Caner% WIlavoliby: Annual Students. Exhibition. Farmers: 50 Years or Australian Cwoonino. Mown.. Town Nall: Merman Art Prim OPENING TUESDAY Maerwratlet Ken 001 paintings. Terry Chine: Robert Roane,. Minting.. Rudy denten: Tony Underhill, painting., drawmpe, weer spies, "em. OPINING THURSDAY Art Galiwy I N.S.W.: Helena Rubinetein Trase/11.0 Ad Schell, eilo. officio open.no 3 p. ro. D LECTURE ARME Th Lisety AMONrts0 p m. AY TV Arnow Bad by Thorned. TUESDAY LECTURE ArC":97.11.1r47.1 layrrrAtit:Idrnrmel"OickaYeilit: "Pop +SW icrue. AN Cull., Se.et,. 8.1 5 m.: lGood and lad MVO,: RumlltUell." Panel isisemwm..