George Wishart : Art Notes

Silr407,Agnsi,..; . tfito new. Society of ted sisperday after- ge roots at the top' we pay that t ention, or maned (ssaujai mutual Vat chrotiou to 8% NO ert; its GP At 3 o'clock irs.le relation IA) our individual haat, tau . . . for the opening, the with visitors, and after tautly htul been per- m J. \V, Blair, a plea apent in examining h showed a distinct us exhibits. Amongst ent were:-Mr. 1, Mrs. l'erey T. Berry, t. C. Gamin, G. 1Viehart, Colelougit (bon. wee - lug is at fiat of tuna.: orwho had accepted present :-Mr. and Mrs. \Ire. Yaldwyn, lion. le. Ire, Stevens. Mr, and It% and (Mrs. 'Webb, Dr. Rev. Maitland oods Mr. and Mrs. Harry Vofler, Mr. and Mrs. and Miss Addison, Mr. lackenzie, Ctiptain anti ' Rotten, Mrs. and the and Mrs. 'W. J; flum- es. Crowe, Mr. J. A. Harry. Brookes, Dr. Miss G. Thorn. Mr. I'ortcr, Hon. J. T. Bell, Hon. A. H. ra. Barlow, Mr. and nee, Mr. anl ?Mrs. A. V. Drury. Mrs. Peir- , Miss IE. Brookes, Mr. Mot. E.Colelough, Mr. .1. Knight, Miss Berry, Mr. J. N. alleallean, . Mrs. and Miss Rogers, inb, Nurses APCarthy Ur.Alamein, Mr. and Mrs. J. Turnbull, Mrs. .Macgregor, 1 Hilton, Mr. and Mrs. Fish, Mrs. Donaldson, Miss O'Connell, Miss NO, Miss Hunter, and I tea was provided in an well es to the development of national eetheticiam and culture is cede, pose of his own pictures to the public,I, Gen unfortunately must, be , deiked, it iii something more than deplorable that art, as such, is confined ip I IS congregation of devotees, to. so anxtll a Peruell,tags of the community that scene eau it keep its altar decked with u few flowers of appreciation. , Jose who are meetly of Ovine alltheri" tatiro judgment, say tha the minted ex- hibitien which ,It present is being held in conteeti,on with the Societal. of Artists, is not up to, Mist tehteulard which reusou- ably might be expocted. This is. not to toy that theMatures estaibited aroso crude or ;gnats:1'0mb that, they must he ,regarded With eatroniming, fertioaranoe ; but certainly 'It Implies that. the standard reached is far from that which, in a healthy coredit ion of art study and in. courageruent, should be atissined. When the expression "reasemsbis expected". is itted,, it is used without much regard to its own reasonableness. How can we reivonably expect ahigh standard of art., when so tittle encouragement, either in troth or laud, yr in public or private re - !Cognition, isgiven to those who devote, 'theme dyes to the extensite study ? It is all very swill if ors: happens to be con- meted with an ii,esocialsiett having State irecentisition and aid, and is tattle to dis- !pcsse of his own pictures to the public. ttinvelf being both Geyer and seller, and ' being in aposition to set and receive his own price. But not one in a thou- sand inin that happy position , and eery properly so, too.Consequently, the average devotee has to work for his own self -gratification, sustained by the sidelines' ideals which he follows, and whose promise lures him to follow their eidtiotive .wooings. One has seen in a coinmon hotel parlour of this very. city, an exquisite picture which angs on the Avail as a sort of 1.0.1.1. for a few paltry pounds which . grim neces.eity demanded, anti whicit.had to he obtained even at the bite r bit ailiet). Is this the sort of Oleg to stimulate art ? Is it the sort of thing to bring the relining, lefluences of art into our dally lives, ;o chasten and elevate us ? Ales, it is :too bail.And ,yet the public claim reason on tisir side when they demand a high standard, ot to say the highest standard, of art in an exhibition such us that now being held in the Town Hail. In debiting condi- 'liens, what chance have the public to gain 'ex'perience in art, and thereby to be able to set a standard for them- selves ? ' It Is a melancholy, fact that artists continue to remain in the position of "Some pour nigh related guest inlin may not rudely be dismissed, And bath outstayed his welcome while, And tells' the jest without the smile." et it too bad ; and some day the con- science of the people may awake cite the national loss involved. Immacarici ctivlictam., Society of Artists. Exhibition at the Town Hall. The third annual exhibition of pictures by the New Society of Artists, which is being held in the Town Hall, was offi- cially opened this morning. There are 134 exhibits altogether, and considering tile limited space at their disposal the hanging Committee have performed their work of hanging the exhibits in a Very creditable manner. On' the whole, the artistic effect of the- pictures is encour- aging In flame Instances taste and skill have been exhibited in colouring, and in a Clarice of euiiects, but in :Aber instances, the painting is lifeless, mid the artistic .effect crude. 'One of the best pietet.., ill the exhibition is undoubtedly a pc strait of Miss Con- stance Campbell F etrie byMr. Oscar Fristrom. The cohering atimiraele, and the life-hke espreSsion a. very notipeable feature, Mr.. Feist, in has other pictures in the exhibition of equal merit, one being, a portrait, of Mr. R. Wiley in Masonic regalia, and another being the belle of Normanton, or a 'study of an Australian aboriginal. There arc a large number of landscapes amid seascapes, which tango very widely ill artistic cries!. In some cases, fairly good perspective has been ruined by an utter absence of natural colouring, but in other cases perspective, colour- ing, and settling. arc good, and offer a Pleasing Aontrast to the workmanship &s- played by less experienced hands. "Sun- set onMoreton Island," by Mr. C Gamin ; "A Queensland Country Home," by Mr. G. H. M. Addison.; "Fmoggera Waterworks," by Mr. George Wishart , "A Creek Scene," by Mr. J. L. Watts ; and "Etill Tide," by Mr. W. C Oxhide, in addition to those already mentioned, comprise the beet pictures in the oil sLa lion. Almost all the artists have faded to paint in the natural effects peculiar to a Queensland climate, and in striving to reproduce cloud atttl sunset beauty, some of the artists have made the fatal mis- take of overcolouring. The water colour paintines arc nut so numerous as the oil paintings, and on the whole they are not so sped. "Moonrise on Iltilimba Reach," byMr. F: .Monteath, Is asmall picture of exceptional merit. 'Phere is a soft - toned finish in the 'work, which is unfor- a tunately absent In many of the other works, and the artist hasucceeded in reproducing a scene syhich is at once a credit t% himself, anti to the exhibition. There are about 40 exhibits in the water-colour section, and some of the smaller ones. are . richer in colouring than the larger ones. "The Escape of H.M.S. Oalliope at Samoa" re- calls the t rrific tornado of some 17 years ago, but the artist, Mr. G, F. Gross , has failed to catch the effect' of an sees'' tropical sea. A stirring sea lashed into fury b a tornado is a beautiful sight, and only a master-hturt could pourtrav the wonderful oolourine that can bo seen. The subject is one, of the most difficult of those, attempted by any of the artists, and though the artist has succeeded in paints-- a good picture, he can scarcely hope to ehotv his talents to best advan- tage o IL. 'Al adifficult, subiect. Ameeget the black anti white exhibits Miss Muriel Tate has a very good picture Or the late Sir A.C. Gregory. Thp young lady has apparently devoted ery' close attention to her work, and her produc- tion is creditable. On the whole the exhibition is deserving of the patronage of the general public, and it is to be hoped tinny of the artists will receive aubvtaatial encouragement.