Coincident with the first anniversary celebration of Vancouver's Civic
Art Gallery, West Georgia Street, was the formal opening Wednesday night of the first
British Columbia Artists' Exhibition.
The ceremony was performed by H.A. Stone, Chairman of the
Founder's Committee.
"As art in the province develops there is every hope this exhibition will be looked
forward to by all of us," said Mr. Stone, "and that artists in particular will regard
it as an opportunity to bring their work before the public for exhibition and sale."
W.G. Murrin, president of the Art Gallery Association, declared that at the conclusion
of the Gallery's first year he could state it had been "in a practical sense successful
beyond our anticipations, one result has been most certainly achieved - Vancouver has
become more art conscious."
158 PICTURES HANG
The 158 pictures hanging on the wall and representing work of British Columbia's artists
were selected from out of almost twice this number submitted.
Whie the modern form of painting is perhaps predominant, it does not entirely control
the show by any means. There are in fact pictures there that will appeal to the taste of
every art lover.
W.P. Weston, C.H. Scott,
F.H. Varley, and J.W.G. Macdonald,
all follwers of the modern school and all of whom have exhibited in Eastern Canadian
shows are represented.
F.H. Varley's "Dharana" will probably be the most discussed and
abused picture in the show.
The spare figure of a girl shown in a brooding attitude against the wooden railing of a
verandah with a background of mountains is both appealing and annoying.
Annoying because to express his mood the artist has had to resort to the use of colors
such as no human flesh ever was.
Appealing because the more one studies the picture the more one feels the atmosphere of it.
Mr. aVrley (sic) has two water colors in the exhibition also,
one of which, showing an early morning scene through an open window, has something of the
delicate quality of a Japanese print.
Those who dislike modernism won't like Mr. Macdonald's
"Garibaldi Park," in which his glacier is very fine; nor his snow scene on Grouse Mountain.
Fred Amess' "High Dive" is an arresting composition. Mr. Amess's
father, J.H.O. Amess, is showing something that is not very
common, a water-color portrait. It is a charming study of a girl in green.
Two of the most attractive of the water colors shown are M.A. Bain's
of a windy day in spring and Ross Lort's "Fisherman's Quilt." The
former has a wee marine scape in oils on exhibition also.
WATER COLORS
Thornton Sharp has taken boats for the motifs in the water colours
which he exhibits at the show. Otto Schellenberger has two water
colors, the most outstanding being his bridge.
Kate Smith has a crayon study of a very alert Airedale among the other
pictures she is showing. John Innes is represented with an oil
entitled "Children of Immensity," and Mary Riter Hamilton with an
oil portrait study of any old lady.
Melita Aitken's much praised water color still life of peonies is
among the pictures shown, of which others are too numerous to mention.
In the sculpture section, which is very small, Charles Marega,
Beatrice Lennie and the Russian artist,
Ustinoff, are the only ones represented.
The black and white prints and a few water colors that were crowded out of the North
Gallery are hanging in the print room.
Here are represented E.J. Cherry, W.P. Weston,
J.W.G. Macdonald, B.A. Fry,
Grace Melvin and others.
One head in crayons by Campbell Newton of a Chinese catches the
attention in this room as does Constance Bonner's color head of
"Norman."
The exhibition will remain open until the end of the month.
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