MR. C. F. GOLDIE.

Otago Witness, Issue 2545, 24 December 1902, Page 6 (Supplement)

MR. C. F. GOLDIE.

from our sight and memory. Though Mr Goldie is the special exponent of the Maori, he does not confine himself entirely to one subject, and has executed some very fine portraits of several Auckland celebrities. Mr Goldie 's studio (a picture of which is among our examples) is considered the most artistic studio south of the line. It is finely draped, and exhibits a great deal of his own work — rough sketches and copies of famous pictures, together with many original works, showing the touch of many artists of many nationalities. On one of the walls of this studio appears a large, unfinished picture — "The Child Christ Before the Elders " — which contains a number of figures, and much careful drapery and arrangement. Its conception and colouring show that the colonial artist is not devoid of that ambition which has directed the painter of all time to seek in the sacred books of the Bible an inspiration for their genius; and though it is very ambitious in design and treatment, it will no doubt be one of the finest works as yet attempted by any of our local men. Mr Goldie 's method of working has no special peculiarities ; he paints faithfully what he sees, and much of his work has stood the hard test of adverse criticism. He indulges in no lime-light effects, and the vivid purples of the impressionist have so far been unknown to him. We can fairly call him a genuine enthusiast, true to his art, and capable of making a reputation in the Old World, in addition to the one which he is already making, and has made, in the colonies.

This gentleman is one of the few figure painters who can claim to be of colonial birth. He is the son of Mr David Goldie, well-known in commercial circles in Auckland, and on the mother's side he is the grandson of an English artist. Born in 1871, and educated in the Auckland College and Grammar School, he early showed a great taste for drawing, and on leaving school pursued his art studies under Messrs L. J. Steele and Robert Atkinson. In 1892 Mr Goldie went to Paris, and entered as a student at the famous Acadamie Julien under the tutelage of MM. Bouguereau, Constant, etc., where for a while he was content to copy from the antique. He afterwards studied Anatomy at the Beaux Arts under Prof. Duval (who has written a book which is regarded as a standard work on artistic anatomy). For five and a-half years the young New Zealander worked hard in these and other studios ; copying from the famous art galleries in the Louvre, Luxemburg, etc. He then visited other famous galleries in Belgium and Italy ; but before doing so he took the prize for the " Drawing from Life," and afterwards from the " Torso," a study in oils, life-size, of a half-draped figure. These two works received the highest commendation, and gave the winner considerable prestige. In 1898 Mr Goldie returned to Auckland, and in conjunction with Mr Steele painted the large picture, entitled " The Arrival of the Maoris." The subject was an ambitious one — the drawing alone of a lot of half-naked living skeletons being a pretty strong test of the artist's knowledge of anatomy. This picture was exhibited in Christchurch, and purchased for the Auckland Art Gallery. Since that time Mr Goldie's brush has been chiefly devoted to the painting of Maoris, and all critics admit that he is unusually successful in his delineation of the dark-skinned race, some of his native heads giving to perfection the serious side of the Maori character ; while others catch the genial good humour, which is also a characteristic of the race. Last year Mr Goldie paid a visit to Kotorua, and brought back a portfolio full of sketches, some of which are of great value, as representing the old Maori type which is becoming every year more scarce, and will rapidly pass away altogether

can see enough of it to admire the boldness of the general conception and the fine pose of the central figures. 4. " Kai Paipa." — Behold how the young wahine of the plebeian type enjoys the luxury of the fragrant weed; how her dark face is lighted up by the soft wreaths of smoke; while the indescribable content of the seasoned smoker breathes from every feature of her jolly, good-tempered face, relieved in the painting by the brilliant tints of neckerchief and cloak. 5. " A Modern Wahine." — Here we have quite another type, and how different from the others. This girl's highbred, melancholy face, with its wistful yearning eyes, says all too plainly, " I have been born too late ; the glory of my people has departed. They are no longer free and mighty, but they learn, as I do, to follow the fashions of the conqueror, and conform to his ideals." Under this portrait might well be written the legend, " Teach ; ah ! teach me to forget." It is inexpressibly sad and haunting.