Picture Hung Upside Down At Exhibition At Royal Academy

Wanganui Chronicle, 8 May 1948, Page 5

Picture Hung Upside Down At Exhibition At Royal Academy

(From A. W. Mitchell) (Special N.Z.P.A. Correspondent) London, May 7 A picture hung upside down, a portrait of a beautiful woman in which her face appears four times, and Mr.; Churchill’s three oils provided most of the interest at a private view of the summer exhibition at the Royal Academy. Members, connoisseuis. famous artists and art critics riniled broadly when it was discovered that “Herrmgs and Lobster” by Edward le Bas Ara had been hung the wrong wav up. Sir Walter Lamb, secretary to the Academy, chuckled inc said: “I have never seen it any other way up. I am a member of the hanging committee and we often have great difficulty in determining which way an artist intends his oicture to hang ’ Possible reason for the mislake: Le Bas signed his name in th£ top left-hand corner. Artists usually sign at the bottom. Most talked of picture was John Merton’s portrait of Mrs. Daphne Wall. It is painted in tempera on gesso, which is far smoother than canvas and represents 1200 hours of hard work. It is so lifeline that Mrs. Wall—who incidentally' had the measles and couldn’t attend the private showing—appears almost to be stepping out of the frame. On either side of the full face three-quarter length portrait are two profile portraits of her. Another appears on a medallion at the bottom oi the picture as the face of a centaur. symbolising riding and dancing, which are Mrs. Walls' chief interests. “D” FOR DOUBTFUL The picture caused much dispute. Sir Alfred Munnings, president of the Royal Academy, threatened to resign if it was rejected by the hanging committee. They marked it “D” for doubtful. ‘‘Accept g” I’ll resign.” said Sir Alfred. ‘‘lt is one of most remarkable pictures we have received this year.” Tho committee accepted. Said one critic: “The skill of such a tour de force is und; liable, but it contains no creative invention whatsoever. Though the accuracy of the detailed copy exerts meretricious allure. it is as dead in spirit as the stuff of the dress on which so much ingenuity is run to waste.” Said another: ‘‘lt looks as if it has been done in pink sugai icing and has all the ostentatious vulgarly of a still from a bad colour film ” The artist, Mr. Merton, an ex-lieutenant-colonel, is not worried by the criticism. He painted Mrs Walls in three poses “because .he has such a mobile face that one head wouldn’t have done justice to her beauty.” Th? picture, incidentally, is hung in th' l same'gallery as a painting by Max Walker, formerly cf Dunedin. Mr. Churchill’s three oils inevitably attracted attention. They are hung in different galleries and as far as I could see none was signed. The/ are: “The Goldfisn Pool, Chartwell.” and two inteiiors, “Blenheim Tapestries,” and ‘The Blue Sitting Room, Trent Park.” Thev are not for sale.