WAR PAINTINGS

Evening Post, Volume CXXXIII, Issue 28, 3 February 1942, Page 7

WAR PAINTINGS

WORK OF BRITISH ARTISTS

AN OUTSTANDING DISPLAY

Thirty-six of Britain's foremost artists, together with the two New Zealand war artists, Peter Mclntyre and Austin Deans, are represented in an outstanding exhibition of war paintings to be opened by his Excellency the Governor-General, Sir Cyril Newall, at the National Art Gallery tomorrow. Proceeds from the exhibition, which will be shown throughout New Zealand, will be devoted to patriotic purposes. * " Relief at the safe arrival of the paintings from the United Kingdom was expressed today by Sir Harry Batterbee, High Commissioner for the United Kingdom, when making some general comment on the nature of the exhibition.

He said that soon after the outbreak of war the best British artists were commissioned to paint pictures of the various aspects of the war effort and life in war conditions. They started painting in 1940. Their work had been shown at the National Gallery in London and elsewhere in the United Kingdom, and it occurred to the authorities that the people of the Dominions would also be interested in the pictures.

"The New Zealand authorities warmly welcomed the suggestion," said Sir Harry, "and a selection was made from those shown in the United Kingdom. The New Zealand Government has made arrangements for exhibitions at the main centres throughout New Zealand, and is also exhibiting a number of fine works by Peter Mclntyre, the New Zealand official war artist in the Middle East, and by Austin Deans, who was a member of the 2nd N.Z.E.F., and is now unfortunately a prisoner of war.

"The Governor-General has kindly approved of a collection of war paintings which he. brought from England being included ir> the exhibition. The United Kingdom paintings will be in New Zealand for about four months and are then going to Australia." REPRESENTATIVE PICTURE. *" Sir Harry said that these were the first ■ specimens of war art which had come to New Zealand from the United Kingdom since the outbreak'of war, arid they had been selected to give as representative a picture as possible. "In the first place, there is life in the forces," he continued "Some of the atrists have lived with the Royal Navy, the Army, and the Royal Air Force, and have been exposed to considerable danger Ardizzone, who has three drawings in the exhibition, witnessed the bombing of.G.H.Q. in France; Edward Bawden was missing for several days before being evacuated from Dunkirk; Ravilious crossed to Norway with the Navy, and a sketch by Worsley was made when he was serving as a midshipman in ah armed merchant cruiser. -;'.

"To take a few examples of the pictures, the ; war at sea is shown in a striking painting of the"" Jervis Bay action ,in- ; , Joh n; Nash's 'Convoy,'. and in scenes: of life on board the minesweepers. The Army is. represented in Sir Muirhead Bone's 'Return from Dunkirk*' portraying troops landing at Dover, by scenes of coastal.defence, tank, and infantry training, and views of- the Western Desert; the air war in Paul Nash's 'Wellingtons About to Fly,' Henderson's 'Air Gunner at Night,' and scenes of aerodromes and German planes brought down. John Nash's 'Dockyard Fire' and several pictures of devastation of familiar landmarks in London convey some idea of air raids. LIFE AT HOME. "Civil defence is illustrated in Ethel Gabain's 'Hospital Supply Depot' and 'Fire Drill,' and pictures of shelterers huddled in the tube stations. Then there are pictures of work in munitions factories, the building of submarines, and the welding of guns. I think that the collection succeeds in giving a fair picture of life at home in the 'blitz' and at the present time, and of the war effort to which all energies are being devoted.

"The collection, apart from its interest as illustrating war conditions, is an excellent representative show of modern British painting," added Sir Harry. "Our best painters are now working for the Government, and thirty-six of them are represented in the exhibition. In addition to the artists mentioned above, there are works by Duncan Grant, Harry Lamb, Henry Moore, Eric Kennington, and Francis Dodd, to mention just a few. I hope that as many as possible will take advantage of the opportunity to see the paintings in the fortnight that they will be on view in Wellington at the National Gallery."