OUR ILLUSTRATIONS

Otago Witness, Issue 2545, 24 December 1902, Page 10 (Supplement)

OUR ILLUSTRATIONS

1. "A Stitch in Time." — Here we see an old bachelor pausing in the midst of his breakfast to put the needed " stitch " into an important article of his attire. Spectacles on nose, needle and thread carefully balanced, he is striving to perform that delicate feat of " threading the needle," which is the necessary preliminary to the required stitches. His intent face and sturdy grip of the delicate implements of the seamstress form a delightful contrast, and a subtle sense of humour pervades the whole. 2. "A Street Scene in Caudebec, Noimandy," is an open air sketch of great power, to which the reproduction does little justice. In. the original the lights and shades thrown by the jutting gables of the old houses are as striking as the purity and depth of colour displayed in the buildings themselves ; while the faintly indicated figures in the street below add to the rich effect. In impressionist work of this type the story is hinted rather than told, and the merit of the concept lies in instantaneous certainty of touch and the application of pure colour, the effect being produced by juxtaposition rather than washes. To do it well requires talent of a peculiar order, and can never be taught. Miss Hodgkins possesses this gift in a marked degree, and is one of the most promising of our young New Zealand artists.