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“ SYDNEY A MOST SORDID CITY .”

FAMOUS SCULPTOR DECLARES THAT IT MUST HAVE COLOUR. (Special to the “ Sar.") SYDNEY, November 4. “ Sydney is the most sordid city Z hove ever seen in my life for colour,'' Sir Bertram Mactcennal, when opening Mr Sydney Ure Smith's oneman exhibition of drawings and etch ings at the Macquarie Galleries this afternoon. Apparently the contrast between what he called the beautiful delicacy and fine drawing of Mr Smith’s work and the thought of the buildings outside roused Sir Bertram’s ire. He declared that Sydney showed no taste or knowledge, and was largely built of “ prison brick.” People told him that these buildings would come down, but the brick was a beastly hard brick, and would never come down until it had earned its money. COLOUR WANTED. “ The city demands beauty,’’ he said. “ The colour of the harbour is all wrong with the surrotindings. In London one man has a yellow door, another a beau tiful red door, and another a blue door. The surrounding greyness demands colour, and wc want more colour. •' Sydney could be made to look like an Arab town looks from the sea, like a pearl or an opal. This town has no right to be suggestive of a manufacturing town in the Midlands.” Sir Bertram also said he liked to think of the sort of houses into which Mr Smith's etchings would gt>. The wall on which a work of art went was very important. lie would like to do away with all waHpapers, and have walls of a delicious atmospheric blue, especially when there was gold in a room. He also advocated mandarin yellow, green and cream, although they sonneted like a salad.

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Permanent link to this item

https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/TS19261125.2.44

Bibliographic details

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18013, 25 November 1926, Page 6

Word Count
283

“SYDNEY A MOST SORDID CITY .” Star (Christchurch), Issue 18013, 25 November 1926, Page 6

“SYDNEY A MOST SORDID CITY .” Star (Christchurch), Issue 18013, 25 November 1926, Page 6