Art seen: January 13

''Speed and colour: British linocuts of the 1930s'' (Dunedin Public Art Gallery)

The clean lines of the linocut and the dynamic styles of 1920s and '30s art are brought together in an excellent exhibition at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery. Focusing on Claude Flight and the Grosvenor School of Modern Art he founded in London after World War 1, the exhibition brings together 30 pieces from Te Papa's collection.

Styles such as art deco, futurism, and rayonism are all excellently suited to the presentation of images depicting the motion of the new post-war era, and the works in this exhibition show this well with their emphasis on the human figure at work and sport. In works such as Cyril Power's Tennis and Air raid, swirling vortices of movement dominate the scene.

In some works, such as Flight's street scene Speed, the motion is less obvious but is implied with the supple lines of the prints. Rhythm is a vital component of many of the pieces, notably Lili Tschudi's Gymnastic exercises and William Greengrass' The king's horses.

Several of the works show clearly their antecedents, from Matisse to the experiments of Duchamp and Delaunay and even - in one Ethel Spowers work - Japanese Ukiyo-e. The artists in this display, however, make the subjects their own, with powerful images such as Sybil Andrews' Tillers of the soil.

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''Frontiers'', Isaac Leuchs (Mint Gallery)

In Isaac Leuchs' exhibition at Mint, the artist has chosen as his frontier the natural world of Africa with its wildlife of rhinoceroses, hyenas and jackals.

Leuchs has used his skilful prints as a basis for this series of works, in many cases creating mixed media pieces by the addition of paints and ink. He has reduced his colours to a bare minimum, producing images that are basically tinted monochromes, though on occasion he has used coloured materials, notably in the bold red backdrop of Walking cave hyena.

The works range from strong semi-abstract prints to heavily-worked images which approach realism. For the most part it is the former works that are the most successful; though there is skill in the ''purer'' scenes, the former show more of both the artist's and the animal's personality and are stronger as a result.

Perhaps the standout piece of the exhibition is Rhino 6, an image in which paint has been heavily used, but in such a way that the scene does not approach photographic realism closely - the titular animal is hinted at by the bold use of black paint and white space rather than being directly and baldly stated, allowing the creature's inner power in the harsh sunlight to show though.

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''Box of Light'', Derek Morrison (Dunedin International Airport)

The current exhibition at Dunedin International Airport is a display of fine art photographs by Derek Morrison. His works, which focus on the interface between sea, land, and sky along Dunedin's southern shore, add a touch of colour and summer warmth to the airport's main terminal.

Understandably, many of the images focus on surfie culture. From the silhouetted surfers of the main atrium's Moments of gold to the massive walls of water depicted two flights above, the exhibition celebrates the rhythms and fluctuations of the sand and waves and human interaction with them.

Colour is heavily saturated, but each of the works concentrates on an overwhelming key colour, thus allowing composition and contrast to rule rather than diverting the eye by the use of a broad palette. Chiaroscuro and silhouette become vital components of the works, as do the shapes and contours of the sea. This approach also allows the clear natural coastal light to shine through, and produces a fine effect in images such as Green lip with its interplay of reflected light and water surface.

Composition is well handled, with works such as The dawnie, Stormy poles and Surfer in tube being both effective and attractive images.

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