VERSATILE ARTIST

Auckland Star, Volume LXXVI, Issue 238, 8 October 1945, Page 6

VERSATILE ARTIST

EXHIBITION OPENED QUICK AND SENSITIVE BRUSH By ARTHUR C. HIPWELL A lively ' jeu d'esprit" characterises the paintings of M. Guy Huze a feature that will bring an appreci! ative response because it is a quality too rarely seen in exhibitions of painting in this country. His exhibi. tion on the second floor of Messrs Smith and Caughey's building was opened by the Mayor, Mr Allu'm, this afternoon. The work on view by this young French painter reflects the spirited temperament of his country, the influence of the Ecole des Beaux Arts and a full measure of his own charming personality. The exhibition is interesting, not because it is so much better than previous shows by visiting artists but because it is different. Primarily M. Huze is an illustrator, whose quick and sensitive hrush invests all his subjects with a quaint Continental humour. This is apparent even in widely diverse subjects and gives rise to a certain amount of legitimate exaggeration; a license that puts a long moustache on a Queen Street policeman, a scared cat in an Auckland tram, and an amusing incident at a Tahitian funeral. Looking at the local scene through M. Huze's interpretations is a new experience and, apart from recognition of familiar streets and buildings, one becomes aware of wider aesthetic.possibilities existing in our local surroundings. For example, too many of our own painters give us deserted street scenes, whereas M. Huze presents Queen Street surging with life and movement,' perfectly normal but strangely more readily associated with London or Paris. The orthodox angles to which we are accustomed are refreshingly waved aside, and we see Piha as a stormy spot on the West Coast, Auckland as a city bustling with human activity. i Those aspects over-ride the incident, which is a natural accompaniment of M. Huze's work. The same preoccupation with the human element is seen in the Tahitian scenes, of which the amusing "Joy Ride," a picture of a much overloaded car crossing a stream, is a typical example. Variety of Mediums M. Huze works in a variety of mediums and seems perfectly at ease in oil, gauche, poster colour or with pen and ink. His work has the appearance of being rapidly executed, retaining all the freshness of the sketch, but quite happily composed. The translucent quality in his colour is part of his means of expression, and here again he is light, airy, and spontaneous. Some of his Tahitian maidens are reminiscent of paintings by Domerque, but are none the less enjoyable because they do not conform to the heavy profundity in tone and colour of Gauguin, to which a comparison is usually made of all work coming out of Tahiti. The use of lively colour for decorative effect is seen in "Native Singers."

Rhythmic, flame-like line is exploited in many compositions, included among which are some colourful studies of tropical fish and under-water scenes. The series of decorative designs of Tahitian women in native dancing poses are full of rhythmic movement, typically French in execution and very interesting in colour.

That M. Huze has been elected a member of the Salon des Humorists is not surprising when one contemplates his humorous drawings. They are full of witty comment, without undue emphasis on caricature. Aucklanders will find his satire not unkind, but may comment upon the introduction of details not common to this country. In all the exhibition is one of versatility and surprising facility, coupled with a perception and sensitivity that combines serious aspects of painting with an exhilarating outlook on life and the contemporary scene. M. Huze arrived in Auckland four months ago from Tahiti, where he gathered material for an exhibition entitled "Paintings in the Pacific," which he will shortly give in Lonaon. Admission to the Auckland exhibition is free, and M. Huze intends donating half, the proceeds from sales of his work to the fund to endow a chair in obstetrics and gynaecology at the proposed new women's hospital in Auckland.