WAR PICTURES

Evening Star, Issue 24137, 6 March 1942, Page 2

WAR PICTURES

VIVID ARTISTS' IMPRESSIONS OFFICIAL OPENING BY MAYOR A largo section of the public was present vesterday afternoon in the Early Settlers’ Hall, when the exhibition of war pictures loaned to the New Zealand Government by the United Kingdom Government was officially opened by the mayor (Mr A. H. Allen). While the object of the collection of pictures is primarily educative, to give the people an insight into different phases of the war as seen by British and New Zealand artists, it is hoped by its exhibition in the various centres throughout the Dominion that the funds of the local patriotic councils will benefit through voluntary giving. The mayor made an appeal for support in this direction at the conclusion of his remarks, intimating that contributions would go towards the £73,000 which had to be found in this district as its quota of the all-purposes appeal. “ In all,” said the Mayor, “ there are 123 pictures, produced by 30 of Great Britain’s foremost artists and by two New Zealanders—Peter Mclntyre, formerly of this city, and Austin Deans, of Canterbury. The British artists were commissioned by the United Kingdom Government as officiaj. war artists, and Mr Mclntyre was commissioned by the New Zealand Government as its special war artist. Mr Deans was a member of the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force in the Middle East, and is now, unfortunately, a prisoner of war.

“ The artists,” the mayor continued, “ were commissioned to paint pictures of the various aspects of war and of civil life under war conditions, and so there is dealt with every phase of actual warfare, from the manufacture of the war materials in the factories to actual engagements on land, in the air, and on the sea, and the resultant frightful destruction of material and human life.

“ Wo have heard over the air and read in our newspapers many of the happenings with which these pictures deal, but informative as hearing and reading may bo, there cannot be conveyed to the mind the significance of the actual events in anything like the degree provided by vision. The portrayal of these events on canvas will, for the first time, give to many of us a clearer impression of many of the war incidents of which we have read and heard.” Mr Allen directed his listeners’ attention to a few pictures in particular—- ! The Return from Dunkirk,’ by Sir Muirhead Bong; Jervis Bay Action,’ by Charles Pears; Mr Preclmer’s portrait in oils of “ Cobber Kain. and others. The portrait of Air ViceMarshal K, R. Park, he said, had a special interest for Dunedin people, as the air marshal was the youngest son of Professor James Park, for many years dean of the mining faculty at the TTniversity of Otago. The work of Dunedin-horn Captain Mclntyre, said the Mayor, should prove of exceptional interest. His works included an attack on the general hospital in Crete, and this, painted on the spot, gave a vivid description of actual events at a time when IVcw Zealanders displayed conspicuous bravery under most trying conditions. Others ' showed Maadi Camp, and enemy dive bombers attacking in Crete., “The pictures by Austin Deans are also very fine.” he stated. “ His appointment as official war artist for the New Zealand forces was made on the day he was taken prisoner of war in Crete. “ Tn reviewing this collection,” concluded the Mayor. “ wo must receive a sense of the courage and bravery of all w'ho have lived through theraany phases of this tragic war. and! will feel exhilarated and thrilled by the heroic acts of onr brave men and women as depicted bv the artists who are themselves taking their part in the war.”