“Rich Australianism.”
Mr. W. R. Charlton’s praise.
The exhibition was opened by Mr. W. R. Charlton before a large gathering yesterday afternoon. He said that it was regrettable that Mrs. Hubert Fairfax, who was recovering from an illness, had been unable to perform the ceremony.
Mr. Charlton said that he had always admired the art of Mr. Pratt, particularly his pencil work.
“There are some pictures which we do not admire and do not want to possess,” said Mr. Charlton, “but there are others which we would feel proud to have adorning our walls. This is an age of tremendous activity and it must set its seal on art as on other fields of life. It is pleasing in this world of confusion, of jazz art and emotional temperament that young artists have a yearning to reveal their personality. If personality is to be revealed in art, however, the personality must be worth while. In Mr. Pratt’s work you have a pleasant calm mind, a reflective mind animated by a real and rich Australianism. His work is that of an Australian artist who loves his country, and we, as Australians, deeply appreciate the beautiful work we see here to-day.”
Mr. Pratt said that there was a tremendous amount of insincerity in contemporary art. His work was inspired by a love for his native land, which he tried to reveal in his pictures.
Source:
The Sydney Morning Herald (Sydney, NSW), Friday 8 October 1937, page 17
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