1935-06-08 — Page 7

No. 13

China Mail

HOME SUPPLEMENT

HONG KONG, SATURDAY, JUNE 8, 1935

THE HONG KONG

KONG ART

No. 13

CLUB

Impressions

ADY Astor addressed the

LADY Artor at lands of

Women for Suffrage and Equal. Citizenship at Istanbul a short while ago, saying "I shouldn't think women would want resemble men for the more we look at men the less we want to look like them. We women seek 20 raise the moral standard of mankind and teach our children to live, not die. for their country.

She speaks out strongly and even Turkey Estens... We have,

indeed, so often heard the tale of "masculine women", "women with perhaps a business genius who ex- press their decisive attitude by ap pearing mannish. But that real- ly amounts to nothing these days: we have ceased to believe men superior beings, ceased trying to show our individual superiority as females by aping them

:

DO.

We have taken a more rationalis zic view, our very differences of sex must necessarily mean funda- mental differences of nature. realise that no man is complete, a perfect whole, alone. just woman is. It is for us as women, not to try to imitate the qualities of men which we lack, but tolde- termme what it is we possess that men lack and develop that direction. We work to make the union of the sexes more complete, more interesting And as women become more vital, more broad in" outlook, this is bound to be.

In primitive. times women, were the craftsmen, it was women who cultivated the soil, while men were the warriors. Life has since be- come more complex. This is the age of specialisation in a million different fields, and each " woman must now learn to find her place. Motherhood is not the whole-time job 話 was last century: in- deed, for the woman who is not vitally interested in children her- self it need be but a break in the regular routine. Collective nu- -series and nursery schools are be coming ever more popular. Child- ren are placed in the hands of those specialised in their care and training. No more lonely, neglected children; no more pampered, spoil- ed pets: all healthy and happy in their little bands. That is a day to look forward to. A day when only those mothers whose chief m terest in life is children will spe- cialise in their care, and other mothers will be free to follow their various professions.

Bertrand Russell, in his "Scien- tific Outlook", thinks it not Im- possible that the mothers of the future will be specially selected for their eugenic qualities. Whether that will be the case or not, it is certain that women wil develop freely in the direction they choose, and that, as a result, the relation between the sexes will become less bitter, but rather more lively and interesting.

Phyllis Juky.

APPARENTLY the history

the Hong Kong Art. Club goes back to prehistoric times. At least, the most minute investigation kas not disclosed the year in which it Was founded of the names of the founders. Even Mrs. C. B. Brown, who has served several terms as seCTEL- ary of the Club and on the Committee, and who has been azember-since 1916, could- only supply a rather vague re- collection Mrs. Brown thinks that Lady May was very keenly interested in the Club and that she and Lady Shenton were the earliest sponsors. Lady Sher ton retains that interest in the Club and is still a member.

Until a few years are the Club had no fixed meeting place but members used to meet at each other's houses, in somewhat similar manner to the first Rotary Club in Chicago. Later the Club held its meetings at the Helena May Insti- tute, but soon returned aga to the former system of meeting at the members homes. For the.. time being the meeting place is spain at the Helena May, where monthly exhibitions and committee meetings are held.

The Club's first public show on a larger scale was in the City Hall in 1919. Since then there has been an annual exhibition of the members work which has lattiy become a regular yearly feature at the Gloucester Hotel The mem- bership, considering local condi- tions, is quite large; the ladies are still in the majority in spite of the fact that lately quite a number of male members' names have been added to the list.

That the interest is very keen and most members are "combat- ant can be seen by the annual shows. Hong Kong is a very poor hunting ground for the profes- sional artist, therefore it is quite natural that members, with few Exceptions, are amateurs. But that "does not seem to dampen the enter

prising spirit at all. At the ex- hibitions one sees work in all mediums. Pencil, charcoal, pen, and ink, water colour, oil etc. And one finds among the exhibits not only small plates of wood engrav- ings but canvasses of rather am- bitious size.

It is often felt that as the Club's membership is composed mainly of amateurs or "art-lovers" as we pre- fer to call them, there is a great need for some sort of guidance. That applies not only to the in- dividual work of members, who in lack of studios and art-schools have to do as well as they can on

Above: Woodcut

Mrs. O. P. Joce

Right: Opainting by Mrs. A. N. Macfadyen

Enid M. von Chauvin

colour, Woodcut

Enid M. von Chauvin

"their own, but "to" means by which the members generally can get a better inderstanding of past and recent movements and ideas in the art world. Such guidance is es- pecially invaluable to those who are thousands and thousands of miles away from the great cosmo- politan cultural centres and have acquired their interest here in Hong Kong. It is not the fault of the Committee that up to the pre- sent not much has been done in this direction, but rather the pecu- Har conditions in Hong Kong. There are not many people, if any, who could bold useful léctures on art subjects. At least one thing has been attempted, and that is a monthly criticism of the members”.. work

Of course such criticism can be of real practical value, only when given by someone of ripe and sup- erior knowledge. But again Hong Kong and one can go

on like that “ad infinituma.” It is to the credit of the ladies, who are the moving force of the Club, that they are not discouraged by the difficulties, they encounter, but try (Continued Over-Page)