EXHIBITION OF PAINTINGS

Press, Volume LXXXIII, Issue 25089, 22 January 1947, Page 3

EXHIBITION OF PAINTINGS

NAVAL WAR SCENES

Lent to the New Zealand Navy League for exhibition throughout the Dominion, a collection of paintings executed by Norman Wilkinson, depicting the war at sea, will be displayed in Bajlantyne’s lounge next week.

The paintings, which are part of an official collection of war pictures, were made available to the Navy League by the British Ministry of Information. This series of pictures were painted to give the layman some idea of the hazards of maritime warfare, and include scenes of Coastal Command operations and the activities of the Merchant Navy, as well as of naval occasions. The subjects were built up on authentic information from men involved in the scenes shown, and in the invasion of Normandy scenes, the artist was on the spot, being borne by the veteran destroyer Jervis. All subjects have been treated with simplicity, no attempt having been made to dramatise. The exhibition will be open to the public for 10 days, or longer, if interest warrants keeping the display open. Norman Wilkinson served in the first World War as commanding officer of a minesweeper in several zones, including the Dardanelles and the Mediterranean. In the 1939-45 war he was acting adviser to the Air Ministry, with the rank of Air Commodore, on all aspects of camouflage. He was responsible for the evolution of the “dazzle” system of camouflage for ships which was ultimately adopted by every Allied country.