1960-05-28 — Page 11

AT

THE CHINA MAIL,... - SATURDAY, MAY

SATURDAY MAGAZINE NEW!

JAK

and

GEORGE

sorting out art

at the Summer

Exhibition...

""

T first glance there may not appear to be any great artistic affinity between a dollop of paint in Piccadilly and a Welshman having his face pushed in by an Australian pineapple grower in Swansea.

Yet such an affinity, or, at least, a striking similarity, came to our notice this week when, at Jak's earnest instigation, we set out to sort out Art, as exemplified at the Summer Exhibition of the Royal Academy.

But, first, let us mention the Welsh gentle- man's face. It belonged to a Mr Brian Curvis, and, up till about nine o'clock last Monday evening, it was undeniably handsome and of a pleasing shade of pink.

Successful quest

Between 8 and 10 p.m., however, Mr Curvis sought, for reasons of his own, to be- come the welterweight boxing champion of the British Empire at the expense of a Mr Barnes, of Australia-a successful quest, 3s il happened, but

one which left Mr Curvis's face looking rather less handsome and

ALDERMASTAN

Only truly great artists

a good deal less pink.

When I last saw it, the por- tions peeping from behind a wet towel bore an unmistakable re- semblance to a blood-shot gar- goyle, at which resentful but accurate marksmen had been hurling handfuls of over-ripe black-berries,

"Quick! Clean him up. some- .. body," urged an acolyte, spotting a television camera moving into the dressing-room.

Now I understand that Mr Barnes charged approximately £3,000 for his post-impressionist decorations on Mr Curvis's face, which could be a cause of some

resentment to another imagina- tive artist, a Mr William Gear, of Eastbourne.

11

For Mr Gear, with a lot of enthusiasm and

lot of paint, has achieved much the same colourful effects on a square yard or so of canvas in Gallery III of the Royal Academy yet he prices his masterpiece, called Phantom Landscape, at no more than a modest £200.

In common

can wreak

such havoc!

has performed an encore further along

the Academy wall only this time the blue-black- white-and-orange splodges turn Gut to be Winter Pastoral.

But Jak, snarling an aside about iterate scribblers with the imaginations of moronic night watchmen, dragged me off to share his ecstasy over the brilliant imagery and exquisite composition of a couple of animal studies.

could certainly tell us all about the Royal Academy,

It seems George III gave us the Academy in 1768, aller which he lost us the American Colonies and called it quits. Anyway, George told Sif Joshua Reynolds to get crack- ing with his Academy, at what is now Somerset House, where it stayed until the Government went into the births, marriages,

they and deaths business 50 could keep track of the tax- payers.

From those early days, right down to their present occupancy of Burlington House in Picca- dilly, the Royal Academy has

distinguished

in

Mind you, there are bound to be divergent views on such great works, and I must confess that Jak, who is in the business, No. 079, the late James Bate- battled bravely in the cause of could not agree with my con- man's Study for Europa, gave Art, and attracted to its stead- tention that Phantom Land- us four nifty nudes splashing fast mission the talents of some

the most Scape was a dead ringer for around with a large and sym- of

decorators bolle bull. A friendly suggestion interior

the Brian Curvie's pushed-in face,

However, my friend and I by me that this might have been business,

Constable contributed lavishly: were not at the Royal Academy labelled "Cowgirls with Goose- to quarrel.

pamples" was instantly dismissed William Blake was kicked out by Jak as frivolous, facetious, for being rude to the president; ignorant, and utterly lacking in Landseer was enrolled as a lad good taste, common decency or of 13 to learn, how to carve lions

in artistic appreciation.

Jak's visit was professional. Having submitted a self-portrait for this year's exhibition, and having been passed over by the Hanging Committee on account of they already had too much still-like stuff, Jak wanted to see the piece of wall on which

History

An ugly scene might well have

Trafalgar Square; Millais joined at the age of 12, long before he went to work for a soap firm with that famous piè- I have nol bern able to find

of Bubbles; and Sir ture out whether Mr Gear; e Mr he had vainly been pinning his occurred in Gallery X had not Thomas Lawrence performed Barnes,

wore boxing gloves hopes of fame and a few quid. Mr Humphrey Brooke, MVO, prodigies with his pastels to when be created Phantom Unfortunately,

Kallan BA, B.Litt, appeared with a keep an Landscape, but the results have nimed Pietro Anniguni had diplomatic suggestion that we father's pub on the Bath Road. much in common.

jumped Jak's claim with, a pie- step into his office..

Reverently, Mr Brooke related Only truly great artists or lure of Julle. Andrews as Eliza Mr Brooke, in addition to these and other absorbing anec- possibly an irritated octopus Doolittle, and Jak, a true sports- being a former civil servant and dotes as he showed us over the floundering in a sea of blue-man even in defeat, said it a supporter of Huddersfield. premises. black ink could wreak such wasn't half bad. kaleidoscople havoc.

And, believe me, Phantom Frivolous

Landscape, which I understand

the bailiffs out of his

31

Town football club, is steretary

Goethe once wrote (it says in of the Royal Academy of Arts the catalogue) that!

The In London, and be has a very Artist uses Art for his purposes nice office decorated with a and deals with the object after has been very favourably Personally, I preferred No. copper coal-scuttle and a lot of his own fashion. received by the art critle of The 1325 in the Architectural Room glit-edged nudes painted on the As for me, all I wanna say is Times, was no accident, even if a strikingly resolute portrayal ceiling.

Good old Artf it looks like one.

of the Bankside Power Station Mr Brooke said he hardly

having had some palat left over, Scott.

squttle or the ceiling, but he

For Mr Gear, evidently by the late Sir Giles Gilbert ever noticed either the coal- GEORGE WHITING

-(London Express Service).

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