Sunday, April 19, 2015

ART IN THE ANTIPODES AND THE BRITISH INFLUENCE


The   spectacular exhibition ,  held in  Christchurch, population 70,000,  had  a  big impact far and wide  on the appreciation of  arts  and crafts , industrial development , architecture  and  armaments.  The   above  well  illustrated  book , 355pp, was  published  in   1908   and  is  from  the   Little Darwin  Pacifica  Collection .

A large number of the  exhibits  in  the  British art section  were  bought  by  the art galleries of  NSW, Adelaide, the  New Zealand Academy of Fine Arts , the Canterbury Society of Arts ,   Auckland City Council and  numerous private  individuals  .

Among the  arts and crafts  exhibits  purchased  were  candlesticks, panels, reliefs, a  silver and coral brooch, silver belts, stencilled prints, a  mahogany bookcase , a silver mother of pearl  bracelet and  necklace , vases, tiles,  an Irish crochet collar, lace ,smocks from six  English counties and linen made  by  crippled and  invalid women, appliqué lace , woodcuts, a wrought iron toasting fork , serviette rings , an embroidered  chamois leather bag , an illuminated page of Keats , a carpet, smocked  and  emboidered  frocks, Limerick lace , hatpins , silver mounted decanters, Ruskin Ware vases .
In the extensive British drawings, etchings ,engravings ,statuary , paintings and  miniatures  was the above self portrait of  one  of the most famous black and white artists of his  time , the late  Phil May, who in 1886-8  strongly influenced the style on the Sydney Bulletin  and  was  prominent  in the Melbourne art circle before he moved back to Britain where his  drawings and portraits   became so  popular, despite the fact that  he reportedly  described himself  as  " the most unhappiest man  in London."
 
There was a large naval and military section with a model of the battleship HMS Swiftsure, a War Office  exhibit, a  Palestine Exploration Fund display and meteorological  charts  and instruments . Canada , Australia  ( NSW, Victoria and South Australia ) and  Fiji (firewalkers) contributed  to  the  exhibition .
 
New Zealand  highlighted  its  agriculture, labour , mines, tourist and  health  resorts. A special attraction was  the Maori Pa  (village )  occupied by  Maoris making  traditional handicrafts,  growing crops such  as kumera , performing poi dances  and hakas  .  A  magnificent Maori canoe from the Waikato in the North Island  floated in  a nearby lake .
 
Above is  the  opening  day main entrance scene .  Nearly 2,000,000  people attended  the  exhibition  and  a  message from  the King on its closure   said the exhibition would not only  provide a permanent advantage to  New Zealand   it would strengthen  the ties which  held  the colonies to  each other , the throne  and  the  Mother  Country.