ART
A mourtrumv of exhibitions reduces criticism to the nature of a railway . timetable. First, at Gimpel's, two Polish painters are showing: Marek and Marian. The latter is young and develop- ing, one gathers, rapidly. At the moment his work is very Parisian, very colourful (the only national note, maybe ?) and very promising. Some of the- tensions of his first drawings seem to get lost in the translation into oil-paint in which, in his evident pre- occupation with picture-making, one senses the disinterested observer standing aside from the material. Subject is unimportant (or, conversely, every square inch of his canvas is of equal and simultaneous importance) save as the basis for a vivid statement of colour and movement. Compare his Deposition with that of Marek. In this there has clearly been a not entirely successful struggle to convey the emotive implications of the scene. Marek's still-lifes are his best things : honest reports of a sombre dignity.
* * * * At the Lefevre Gallery are new paintings from Ischia and Wales by Edward Wolf—paintings gay and cheerful and, by current standards of intensity, completely unfashionable. It cannot be said that they reveal any new or remarkable vision, but there is a dis- arming ease and fluency in Wolf's use of formulae left over from half a century ago. The worst of these paintings are crude and undigested ; the best are spontaneous expressions of pleasure at the happier aspects of landscape. Also at this gallery are water-colours by R. H. R. Taylor, based on repetition motifs like terraced olive trees. * * * *
Sven Berlin's sculpture, expressionistically conceived, seems the most valid part of his exhibition at the St. George's Gallery ; Halina Korn has some nice colour notes at the Mayor Gallery; while at Messrs. Roland, Browse and Delbanco, Irma Stem, a South African artist, contributes a number of vigorously dull canvases. Before leaving the Bond Street area let me draw attention to the courageous gesture of the LOndon Gallery in deciding to remain open until 6.3o on every week-day evening, including Saturday. If only other galleries would follow suit—or at least agree to open on one specified Saturday each month—this might be the beginning of something
very much worth while * *
Away from Bond Street there is an excellent little show of Welsh painters at Messrs. Hears which is well worth a visit. Besides the better-known names—there is a lovely David Jones amongst them —there are several unknown talents, and of these Brenda Chamber- lain and John Petts stand out. An altogether varied exhibition. Finally, I have received catalogues for three Arts Council shows— the " Art of Landscape," the catalogues of Drawing " and the collection of Lacouriese prints which were seen last autumn at the Anglo- French Art Centre. This last, enhanced a hundredfold by John Buckland-Wright's technical notes, should be of enormous interest to students of contemporary engraving outside London. The essays in the other catalogues—by Lynton Lamb and Bernard Meninsky respectively—were also so excellent as to set me hoping the Council may consider reprinting the more successful of its prefatory notes from time to time in more permanent form. M. H. MIDDLETON.
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