HEREDITY IN ART

Taranaki Daily News, 16 May 1930, Page 3

HEREDITY IN ART

PROMISING YOUNG PAINTER. Those who believe in heredity have v proof, of their argument in Eric Gully, a young artist now in Auckland. He is a great-grandson of John Gully, who was considered the greatest of the early New Zealand water colourists, and whose work now-hangs in all the principal art galleries of New Zealand and Australia. Erie Gully hopes to exhibit at the forthcoming exhibition of the Auckland Society of Arts, says the Sun. Like his famous 'great-granfather, he'ypaints in water colours. His work is charming in its simplicity of colour and design. This promising young artist was born at Nelson on December 28, 1906.' At an early age he moved to Masterton, where he studied painting under E. P. Fenton at the Master ton Technical School, and later under Constance Beard, A.R.C.A. ’ For ten years after leaving school Gully was engaged with a Mastertoil firm of surveyors, always painting in his spare time. During the past year he has devoted all his time to painting, and hopes to leave for England shortly ” to continue his studies in one of the colleges there. » John Gully, who was 70 years of age when he died, was known as the father of art in New Zealand. He came from Bath, England, to New Zealand, arid settled in New Plymouth at the time of the Maori wars. He was not successful as a farmer, and moved to Nelson, where he was attached to the Crown Survey Department, Painting was an instinct with John Gully. He never received ahy tuition, but from boyhood he spent his days sketching and painting. In later years he was able to devote the whole of his time to < art,\ and became famous as a water colourist®. His work was exhibited in Australia, and at exhibitions of the Society of British Water Colour Artists. Much of his best work is in Australia. . John .Gully .was related to Sir William Court Gully, at onetime Speaker of the House of ComraStis, and was a descendant of John Gully, the celebrated gentleman boxer and sportsman mentioned in “Rodney Stone,” one of Conan D ie’ early novels.