WORKS OF ART

Evening Star, Issue 21900, 11 December 1934, Page 12

WORKS OF ART

SALE OF LATE SIR JOHN ROBERTS'S COLLECTION No fewer than fifty-six oil and water colours from the collection of the late Sir John Roberts, now on view at the Pioneer Hall, are to he offered for sale by auction by Messrs Park, Reynolds, Limited, to-morrow afternoon. The collection is a valuable one, comprising work by eminent British and local artists, and some of the pictures would not be out of place in any gallery. The water colours! comprise the largest section. _ ‘ On the Sands,’ by Robert M Gregor, R.S.A., is one .'of the largest oil pictures in the collection, and includes , some of the best painting, the naturalness of the three boys playing being most striking. The .human figures in ‘The Woman’s Part;’ a large painting ,by Walter .Langley, ; shown at the Royal Academy in 1905 and subsequently brought to the Christchurch Exhibition, are beautifully‘ painted. It- is a splendid example of this fine painter’s art. * Asterie,’ by Sir E. J. Poynter, F.R.A., who was a former president;of. the Royal Academy., is a large portrait,, in which the drawing of the figure of the lady and the painting of the skin and garments are the work of a master hand. ‘ Pastoral,’ by W. D. M‘Kay, is a restful rural scene, with sheep in the foreground and a large expanse of fields. _ E. M. Wimperis is also represented in the oils section, her contribution being _ ‘ Land’s End,’ a beautiful seascape, with materly treatment of the rocks and the cliff face. ‘ Fishing Off a Bridge,’ by A. Frazer, is another fairly large canvas with a delightful general effect. ‘ Hauling Logs,’ by Tom Scott, R.S.A., is a large water colour full of life and intense movement. -It shows a team of horses straining up a hill, a distinctive touch being given by the driver putting his shoulder to the wheel to assist the animals. There is splendid drawing in the picture, and the colours are excellently handled. The same , artist is , also represented by ‘ Hazelaw Loch,’ ‘ Eden Burn,’ and ‘ A .Street Scene in Tunis.’ There is a masterly touch in ‘Venice,’ by Sir Alfred East, R.A., who in his day was one of the most distinguished British landscape painters. It is a fine example of the use of water colour. There are two pictures by, a one-time well-known Dunedin artist, Mr W. M. Hodgkins, these being ‘ On the Nokomai ’ and ‘ The Old Wreck,’ both of a high standard. There is also a picture by a daughter of Mr Hodgkins, Miss F. Hodgkins, who is represented by a cleverly-executed subject, ‘ The Estuary.’ There is, an unsigned picture of large dimensions entitled ‘Country Scene,’ in which there is very good work. Other fine water colqurs on view are ‘ The Highland Interior,’ by R. Anderson; ‘ Farmyard,’ by J. F. Herring, R.8.A.; ‘A Favourite author ’ (said to be 6. B. Shaw),, by Erskine Nicol, R.S.A., A.R.A.; ‘At the Kirk Door,’ by H. W. Kerr; ‘ Lake Winnipeg ’ (with striking effects of Indian canoes in a mist), by F. A. Hopkins; ‘ The Bellringer,’ by C. M. Hardie; ‘The Herring Fleet,’ by C. A. Lodder; ‘Shaking Out the Nets,’ by W. F. Vallance: and' ‘ Drying the Nets,’ by W. H. Paton. The pictures undoubtedly form a splendid and comprehensive collection, and it is to he hoped that opportunity will be taken to secure some of the larger canvases for the Dunedin Art Gallery.