ARTIST'S TOUR.

Press, Volume LXVII, Issue 20316, 15 August 1931, Page 10

ARTIST'S TOUR.

SOUTH AND EAST AFRICA. EXCELLENT MATBIUAL LS ZANZIBAR. I t'RO.xi OCK OWX COB3KS?O2fI>EK'I'.) LONDON, July j - •Mr and Mrs E. Murray Fuller I tWelliugtou) are again in England j after nine months? -travel abroad, i spent mostly in South and Last Africa. ; The main purpose of ..Mr Murray ; Fuller 's trip was to hold, in the , principal centres, exhibitions of pic- j tures of many of the best British con- j temporary painters-. " | At Cape Town, the first port of call, j tho invitation extended by the trustees j of the New National Gallery, to' hold an exhibition, -was accepted. Tho opening ceremony was performed by the ■ Earl of Athlono, and the result was quite successful, five pictures being purchased for the National collection.; and many Others being sold privately, in this, exhibition most of the best painters were represented, including: Orpcn, Muiinings,. John, Clausen, Cohnardj Sickert, Brangwyn, Arnesby Brown, ■ Latnorna Birch, Talmage, and many j others, among them being two New j Zealanders—Sydney Thompson and j Mrs Eleanor -Hughes. . Sydney Thomp-.j son -*s vigorous work was especially . adinircd in the Transvaal, and several | .of his ]jicturcs now have permanent homes tl:ei-e. •; '" .. . • ,Mr 'Murray Fuller's exhibitions i" ; South Africa could . certainly, be ■ described a3 pioneering, especially the, Johannesburg show, as in that city j tho public had never before had an j opportunity of seeing so many good examples of work -grouped together, j The result was that the Johannesburg j exhibition was ven more of a success I than the New Zealand organiser had anticipated. A thousand people attended during one day, and the average was about five hundred per day for three weeks. Three important works were acquired for the Johannesburg Art Gallery, and many others were secured by private patrons. East Africa and Zanzibar. After visiting Durban, Mr and Mrs Murray Fuller spent three months -in East " Africa, stopping, at Louroneo Marques, Mozambique, Bcira, Dar-.es-Salaam and Zanzibar. Nearly seven weeks were spent on the island of Zanzibar, which , was one of the most, interesting places Mr Murray Fuller has visited. Here his time was fully occupied , painting - ..the bazaars and markets, which are crowded _ with Orientals of every .race, making a picturesque setting in the narrow streets of old Arabian- houses, and palaces. The .-atmosphere of pirates and slavers can still be found on Malindi Beach, Zanzibar, where, despite tho intense heat, the New Zealand ■ artist- was. able .to, make sketches of some of the most paintable subjects any artist could wish for. The Arab .dhows, go there for careening every year,- and the cutthroat looking-crews can -be seen every day -painting - these . strange ..looking craft (which have -not changed through the centuries), and loading the valuable cargoes and spices for the long home-, ■ward journpy to Muscat and-tbe Persian Gulf. A successful exhibition of Sir Murray fuller's Zanzibar water-colours on the '-''Coast" ivas • held at -tho request of some residents of Kenya and who were greatly interested. ■ Ij&ter, Tanganyika and Kenya were visited as well' as Italian and French Somaliland. Mr Murray Fuller describes the Italian Souialiland as quite tho most unsophisticated country he . has seen. Merka, one of the small, villages' v.isited, .is waited ]in as a protection against lions, '-Here' Lahcasliife has , not. even, ventured ' with her wires—as in" most other parts Of East Africa and pno cart see in the narrow- streets the "Kangas/' or clothing used'by the" women, being woven by hand. E\ ery process —from making and colouring of the thread to. the complete weaving ,of the garments —can be observed daily > and .some ."of the garments' are. very beautiful. .... „ - ' . The ■ -New ..Zealanders eyentuaily ari-ived-at Venice, on.one. unforgettable morning* to see the sun rise on that beautiful eity. . In Venice they, remained for a fortnight,- and would have, liked to stay longer but time would not allow. From Venice they went- on to Grasse, to stay with Mr and Mrs Sydney Thompson at their lovely. home on this part of the,Kiviera. ■ The ! vista fro'ln his house through the valleys to the Mediterranean is superb. fMr Thompson, has 'painted some really front rank pictures during the winter, j and has a very important : one m the Salon this year. ' ~ . • ■ . After a delightful four weeks basking in the sun of the Midi, the journey : was completed, via Avignon and Paris, where the Colonial Exhibition was visited, and now Mr and Mrs. Murray Fuller have -reached London. definite plans liave.yet bpeii .formulated., but Mr Murray -Fuller is expecting /to 'hold exhibitions in the-large provincial centres of- England and Scotla.nd in the near future,, and later on he hopes, to take out another collection ox pictures to New Zealand. During their travels m the Eastthey came across New Zealand residents, the meetings with'whom added greatly to the pleasure of the travellers.