Art Review

The Autumn Exhibition at the Academy of Fine Arts. Reviewed by Sheenagh Tinkler.

It was worth going to for the clothes on display. There was also some rather exquisite jewellery showing.

One particular exhibit which caught my eye was notable for its imaginative use of colour. It consisted of broad bands of pale pink and mauve set off by smaller areas of poison green; the proportions used being reminiscent of a Mondrian. Another one, on which many people were heard to remark, was distinguished by its immaculate presentation and beauty of form. The Figure was adorned in rich dense black, on which silver chains were used to provide relief for this striking composition.

New Zealand is noted for its harsh light conditions, and one exhibitor capitalised on this feature to gain maximum effect. Her contribution was a collage made up of gold lame overlaid in places with a brown film which produced a delicate painterly effect.

Some fine examples of oriental workmanship were to be seen. An exquisite pair of fragile filigree earrings were worn with authority and conviction. Close to this stood another exhibit which again utilized the existing light conditions well. Opals were portrayed in an unusual way, providing an exciting experience which caught the imagination of the guests present. This kinetic sculpture threw brilliant flashes of light from across the whole colour spectrum. However, in this field one particular medium was most popular, and the form in which it was used was rarely deviated from. This consisted of a series of small, opaque, round objects, threaded onto a string in increasing order of size until the maximum was reached after which the spheres diminished in size again.

This exhibition conformed to the usual pattern evident in the western cultural tradition—the female form was more celebrated than the male. The only distinguishing feature about the male figures was that some were wearing dinner jackets while some were not.

As can be seen from previous comments, this exhibition was an important event in the cultural life of Wellington, to which the paintings on display supplied a suitable backdrop and useful talking point. If you go to see the exhibition, I can promise no more than a pale imitation of the original, (due to the ever changing selection of live exhibits) but a Sunday afternoon collection would, I should think, provide an interesting comment on the New Zealand art scene.