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LINDSAY IN FAMILIAR VEIN SMALL prints by Norman Lindsay are on view to- day at the Moreton Gallery and nearly all are in the' fami- liar vein. most of the work be- ing published between 1914 and 1924. Mr. Lindsay has the needle (and brush) of a magician when creating his Illusions of Atmosphere, texture and move- ment. with something of the taste of Beardsley and the blend of Balzac. In " The Windmill," an odd collection of characters carouse and dance in front of an old mill. which thrusts its strange shape up into the light of a wonderfully suggested sky. A good print with restrained and excellent use of black. " Micomicon " again illus- trates the artist's skill when handling a crowded figure composition, He achieves great interest in the richly etched groups in the fore- ground and induces the eye to explore and enjoy the pic- ture. In " Love on Earth," Mr. Lindsay's men very definitely appear as mere echoes of men. ' 'Ise work has a monotony and lacks his usual enthusiasm. The "Ragged Poet," does not say very much, and "Madame Mystery" has said her lines many times. There is a different quality in "Good Night," and the group of little 'figures in the centre of the composition has been very simply and successfully suggested. "Good Morning" is brimful of humour, also. the drawing is invested with great variety of tone and texture. The little "Toilet" has fine decorative feeling, dark tones being rich and velvety, with the simply treated figure con- trasting against the ground and detail. -Tom O'Bedlant" is one of the rare prints.-JAMES WIENEKE. of oils, water colours, pas- tels. etchings and pencil draw- ings with wide variety of size land quality, including the work lof known and unknown painters from Queensland and the south. At the Albert Gallery, Ann Street, city, an exhibition of pictures by Miss Ellie Rahns- lehen and Mr. A. J. Rose also opens this afternoon. While admitting the deficien- cies in Miss Rahnsleben's paint- ng, it does reveal very good promise: her work has courage, sincerity and initiative. Moods and subtlety of nature are not yet sufficiently under- stood by this young artist, but the hard work of searching drawing and the study of values will rapidly develop and im- prove the promise noticed in such work as "Sand Dunes," with its simple strength, atmos- phere and rhythm. One of the most interesting is "Restless Sea Birds," in ,WIPING OFF 161 YEARS IN o workroom a the More- ton Galleries, Brisbane ar- tist James Wieneke is restor- ing a large picture which was painted before the first set- tlement in Aus ratio. To reveal the original col- our and detail he has had to ; remove five coats of hard varnish, and the dust, dirt. and grease of 161 years. The picture, which shows a British warship off the cliffs of Dover, was painted in 1787 by a British artist named ; Dodds It was acquired by the present owner. Mr. Thiedes, of Swann Road, Taringa, through family ownership going back to William Samuel Allen, Squire of Lewisham. Mr. Wieneke has had to use special solvents to re- move the hard brown var- nish and dirt, search with a microscope for minute cracks in the paint, till breaks with putty, and re -touch the paint where breakages have occurred. ;;; 111110.11111 $$$$$$$$$$ tttttttttttttttttt .litiPi1111111. llllll lllll lllllll Quality Varies In Art Shows ONE of those unusual shows when all pictures are catalogued at similar prices opens today at the Moreton Gallery as the Christmas exhibition. IT is a very mixed collectionwhich tile movement is well conveyed. Pattern was at- tempted in "Through the Trees," but it becomes too hard and is not well drawn. Very much better are "Lighthouse. Point Lookout," "The Bent Oak," the vigorous "Water Lilies" and the courageous "Evening." Tile type of picture painted by Mr. A. J. Rose presents something of a problem to a. critic, because he wishes to spare the painter. I imagine Mr. Rose paints as a favourite pursuit, and that, of course, is; every man's prerogative, if he wishes tu do so. But it is an- other matter entirely when the work is exhibited for sale and a review invited. Therefore, I. must regretfully say that, with the exception of perhaps one or two pictures, these works should never have been exhibited. - JAMES WIENEKE.