Studio: international art (9.1897)

Studio- Talk

number of members being over three hundred.
The "Society of Artists " is a newly-formed body,
composed chiefly of " secessionists " from the older
body. The Art Society is a registered company,
being managed by a council of fifteen and a presi-
dent, the present President being Sir J. P. Abbott,
K.C.M.G., Speaker of the Legislative Assembly.
Being registered under the Companies Act, every
member has a vote for the election of the council,
an arrangement which has not recently given entire
satisfaction, for it enables the layman to have a voice
in the selection of pictures, which, perhaps, should
be left to the artists, though undoubtedly a few lay-
men are necessary on a board of management, for
artists are not as a rule good business men.

The Government grants to the Art Society the
sum of ^500 annually for educational purposes.
Classes are held four nights a week and painting
classes daily, the fees being from 10s. 6d. per quarter
to jQ\ is. per quarter. Scholarships, in the shape
of free tuition, are given annually for students in
the society's classes, and exhibitions are held every
year. Art Unions are held during the exhibition
season, which assist the artists in disposing of their
works.

PORTRAIT OF A LITTLE GIRL BY H. PHILLIPS FOX

The public, unhappily, does not encourage art as
much as could be wished. The trustees of the
National Art Gallery have, however, supported the
art exhibitions in Sydney very liberally. They buy
for the Australian Court five or six pictures annu-
ally, at prices ranging up to ,£275. An ordinary
member of the public seldom gives more than
£10 10s. for a picture, and thinks that too much.
The Exhibition of 1895 was perhaps the most suc-
cessful yet held by the Art Society. The sum
his annual auction sales resulted in so many private of ,£1032 was distributed amongst the artists from
purchases as to make him more wealthy than any sales and other sources, and the attendance return
Australian artist before or since. His happy hunt- showed an aggregate of over 5000.

ing-ground was the Gippsland Lakes, a district about -

a hundred miles from Melbourne, whose beauties The " Society of Artists," known here as the New
he may be said to have discovered, much in the Society, has been in existence for about two years
same way that the modern English artist has " dis- and numbers nearly 150 members, styled " exhi-
covered" the not dissimilar field of the Norfolk biting" and "non-exhibiting." This institution
Broads. At his death the pursuit of the " one-man is composed of artists who have withdrawn from
auction " was continued by Mr. James Peele, a the parent body after attempting in vain to pass
New Zealand artist who settled in Melbourne. such measures as would put the management of the

Society into the hands of artists only. For two
YDNEY, N.S.W. — There are two Art years Mr. Fullwood and others tried to pass re-
Societies in Sydney, the oldest of which forms by which to limit the powers of the laymen
is the "Art Society of N.S.W.which and, at least, allow the exhibitors to elect their
was established sixteen years ago, and own selecting and hanging committee. Although
is composed of artists and laymen, the majorities were gained at large general meetings of

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