Our Illustrations.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLIX, Issue 4, 22 January 1913, Page 6

Our Illustrations.

AUCKLAND'S ART GALLERY. TWO FINE PICTURES DONATED. THE extensive alterations and rearrangements that have been going- on in the Municipal Buildings, in Coburg Street, under the direction of the City Engineer's department, have practically reconstructed the interior, and some very necessary changes have been made for the safety of the treasures which are housed in the art gallery. Much of the accommodation that was formerly occupied by the officials of the City Council has been appropriated for the Mackelvie and City Galleries, the dividing partitions having been removed, and now there are pictures and objects of art in eight large rooms. An important innovation has been the building of a fireproof room for the Grey collection, and also the rare books and MSS. which were recently presented to Auckland by Mr. Henry Shaw. This loom is situated just at the entrance to the Reference Library, and its provision will be greatly welcomed by those who realised the great danger from fire to which the Grey treasures have been exposed for so many years. The Art Gallery has been so completely remodeTk’d as to be unrecognisable, and the improvements have enabled a very necessary classification of works to be carried out. The City Gallery collection has been rearranged in three rooms, and a number of pictures not hitherto hung through lack of. space will be displayed on the walls. One division of the main City Gallery is being entirely devoted to New Zealand art. Upstairs two rooms have been set apart for the Partridge collection of Maori paintings by Lindauer, and on the first floor the Will liable collection of porcelain, rare jewellery, miniatures, etc., of the late Mr Mackelvir. and the native curios of the Grey collection have been suitably housed. The Mackelvie picburec* are now hung in two galleries, the old Council Chamber having been placed at the disposal of the trustees, in addition to the gallery which was originally built for the collection. The smaller pictures are hung in one of the new room*. and the larger canvasses have been re-hung in the old gallery. There are several blank spacfis on the walls, but a large gap on the eastern wall will be shortly filled by a large canvas, 12 feet by 9 feet, painted by W. Frank Calderon, the famous figure ami animal painter, the subject being Greek horsemen. The picture, which was selected by Sir Marcus StoiA*, was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1905, and has been purchased out of the funds belonging to the Mackelvie bequest. It irs intended to have four suitable settees in the gallery, but otherwise the room will contain nothing but pictures—a principle which is followed in the Home gallerite. The smaller pictures have been admirably hung, and the main gallery, when completed, will be eminently satisfactory. Mr E. W. Payton. who hung the pictures in the Mackelvie gallery, has carried out the difficult task merit successfully. In the City Gallery the three rooms have been allotted respectively to the work of Colonial artist*, to the work of Englkih and foreign artists. and to the Reade collection. Here the Hanging Committee was preri.sed for space, and rould have done with even more room. I'he new arrangement is a distinct gain in every way, and shows the pictures off to much better advantage. “ Christ in the Temple.’’ Mr David Goldie has presented to the city the remarkably line picture painted by his son, Mr C. F. Goldie, and exhibited at the 1911 Exhibihition of the Auckland Art Society, entitled “Christ in the Temple.” Mr Gold wrote to the Mayor as follow*: “It has been strongly represented by Mr T. W. Leys, on behalf of you reel f as chairman, and the other members of the Hanging Committee now engaged in arranging the new Art Gallery. that the picture depicting the child Christ engaged in controversy with the Hebrew doctor® in the Temple, which wjh exhibited by iny son. Mr C. F. Goldie wrote to the Maybr as foltwo yeans ago, would be greatly valued ats an acquisition to the New- Zealand section of the Gallery. I have, therefore.* now purchased the picture from the artist, and have very great pleasure

in asking your acceptance of the eame on behalf of the City of Auckland.”

Inquiries were being made in other quarters for the picture, and Aucklanders are fortunate in being able to keep such a fine exainple of one of the most gifted of our native-born artiste. A.' genuine admiration for his work lias, in some people, been tinged with a regret that Mr Goldie had never exhibited a;

"really great, canvas,” but they forgot that ever since he came back from Paris lie lias been busy painting Maori types. He realised that if lie did not get to work at once the opportunity would be gone,, as, men and women of the old school have nearly all taken the last leap from the mystic Reinga. In spite of this fact, however, the artist has found time to work at tlrs big canvas, which is his chef d’oeuvre,. and no one can now say that he has not accomplished a work of which the creator is nqt only entitled to the name of painter, but also that of artist. Even the most casual observer cannot fail to be struck by the vast amount of study and time that the picture must have taken. It is a large canvas, measuring 72 inches by 51. inches, and .without question the finest figure painting that has ever been done in New Zealand. The story is one of the best known in Bible history, and the artist has depicted it in a manner that will appeal to everyone, no matter of what creed. The great eharm of the picture is the composition, but the colouring and the lighting are also most masterly. In a corner of the Temple, the curtains looped up overhead, allowing the gaze to wander out over the smn-lit roofs and domes o.f the Holy City, the rabbis are gathered in a group round the youthful Christ, and on the right hand Mary and Joseph, with wonder and surprise in their faces, have just come -on the strange scene; Among these venerable old men, Air < loldie has depleted some splendid types, which breathe the qualities associated' with their holy office. There is one particularly fine figure, that of the rabbi in white sitting down, and’ watching intently. with a look of inquiry and suspended judgment, the remarkable youth who puts such strange and searching questions. The general posing of the rabbinical group, the colouring of their > ieh robes, and the treatment of the drapery, are accomplished in the style lor which Mr Goldie has become noted. At the painting of drapery and the suggestion of texture he is probably unequalled among Colonial artists. ' The most beautiful figure in the group, however, is that of Mary. She enters with Joseph, towards wihom she leans slightly, with a delightful suggestion of the weaker vessel, and an ineffable expression comes over her features as she grasps the meaning of the scene. With regard to the Christ, one might wish that the artist had’been more successful, but the r<st of the picture is so excellent that this is not readily overlooked. " The Legend.” A second gift of a valuable canvas has been made by the firm of Messrs; S. Vaile and Sons, the pietun* being "The Legend,” painted and exhibited by Mr. Kennett Watkin at the last Art Society extivuition.

In a letter to the Mayor Ajesrs. Vaile and Sons slated: "We have pleasure in offering for your acceptance for the Art Gallery, as a gift from us, Mr. Kennett Watkin’s picture "The Legend,” now in the gallery of the Auckland Society of Aits. The work presents the autist’s idealistic conception of the arrival of the Maoris, ami it would seem to us desirable to preserve in the publie galleries aS many pictures relating to Maori lore as possible. We may say that we think other citizens could, without much trouble, be induced to donate pictures to celebrate the re-opening of the gallery.- Trusting that yon will see your way to do us the honoirr of accepting the painting, yours, etc., Samuel Vaile and Sons.”

In his large canvas Mr. Watkin has treated the story of the Maori’s advent in an idyllic manner, and represents tne voyagers arriving at the shores of The Long White World in midsummer, with the pohutukawa in full bloom, and the sea . sleeping under cloudless skies. Tiie canoes are coming to an andio-nage in a still lagoon-like inlet, and in the baiekground rise out of thy mists oie bushclad hills of the lund where the idander«

decided to make their home. The feature of the picture is its delicate colouring, which is so delimte and rich that" it rather suggests the tropics than New Zealand’s more sombre shades. The suggestion of a windless day, in the st..summer, with the scene reflected in the glassy water is typical of Mr. Watkin’s style. When hung at the Auckland Art Society’s last exhibition it attracted considerable attention. Already the Gal'lery possesses the picture by Mr. Watkin depicting the departure of the Maori from his island home in the sunny Pacific, and Messrs. Vaile and Sons’ gift will make an excellent companion subject. FIFTY YEARS AGO. THE ALBERTLAND JUBILEE. The jubilee was celebrated hist week of the birth of settlement in the now prosperous agricultural district of Albertland oh December 4, 1862. The first sale of Grown lands in the district was conducted at Mangawai, and the newly-ar-rived members of the Albertland Nonconformist settlement, who came out each armed with an order for a grant of forty acres, competed for the bush selections that were to be their future homes. At that time only the first two emigrant ships.connected with the movement, the Matilda Waftenbach and the Hanover, had arrived, in Auckland with eight hundred settlers, other emigrant ships coming later. The scene of the festivities was the township of Paparoa, between Helensvi'lle and Dargaville. Settlers from Matakohe and Maungaturoto were also participating, and the gathering numbered about three hundred. The celebrants were honoured by the presence of the Prime Minister, The Hon. W. F. Massey and party travelled down the Wairoa River from Dargaville to Rua-wai, driving thence to Paparoa. On arrival at Matakohe, two or three miles within reach of his destination, the Premier was accorded an enthusiastic welcome by a large gathering of settlers, .who subsequently accompanied him in vehicles numbering about . a score. The entry into Paparoa was of quite an imposing nature. Between two and three hundred people attended a reunion of old colonists in Cliff’s Hall during the afternoon, when brief addresses and exchanges of reminiscences were .given. Among the guests were the Premier, the member for the district (Mr. J. G. Coates), and Messrs. Albert Glover and I. A. Young, ,M.P.’s. Most interesting were the speeches of the veterans, who revived inspiring mem- » ones of the past, and interesting, too was the spectacle of the many attentive listeners now reclining in the afternoon of life. Cordial messages were received from several whose infirmities prevented attendance, and by unanimous resolution it was decided that the secretary (Mr. Henry Hook) should forward telegrams of fraternal regard, and conveying wishes for “ light at eventide." “ When I heard of this function today I could not stop away,” said Mr. Stringer, of Otahuhu, and- the remark was typical of the spirit which permeated the gathering. A statistical record of progress, supplied by Mr. T. Wilson, junior, showed that the population of Paparoa, Matakohe, and Maungaturoto is now fourteen hundred, that the ratable value of the land is a little over a (planter of a million sterling, that sales of cattle by auction total four thousand head per year, and sheep ten thousand, that the wool industry is firmly established, and that the district lias progressed more during the past ten years than for forty years before. After so much had been said about the well-nigh insurmountable difficulties of the dense bush in the early days, it came somewhat as a surprise to hear the fearful remark of Mr. G. Tibbitts, a hearty old pioneer. "Too much has been said," he 'remarked, "about the hardships ot the early days. Why, what did we expect when we left England?—not to pick up gold in the streets. When we could not get a yard of land -to swing our feet on at Home, we got forty acres to come out here, and we regarded it as an inheritance quite." (.Voices: So it was.) Mr. Tibbits, with dramatic gesture, concluded by declaring that if he could be young again he would not want more than to take up land in the back'blocks. His had been a glorious life among the hills and the rivers: in fact, it had been one long picnic for fifty years. (Cheers.) One of the oldest survivors participating was Mr. T. W. Wilson, of Paparoi. By a happy inspiration he prevailed upon a. still 'older settler, Mrs. Bowsell, of Maungaturoto, aged highly-

one years, to rise on her feet while he affectionately referred to the occasion when he was returning home with his first cow, purchased at a cost of twenty pounds, and was befriended in a very practical manner by Mrs. Rowsell, or, as he called her, “Good old Mangaturoto.” That the latter memory had been kept'green was evidenced by the clearness with which Mrs. Rowsell was enabled to endorse the speaker’s remarks. Little wonder it was that the gathering rose and cheered these hearty veterans.

A group pliotograph taken subsequently, included about fifty of the original settlers, a dozen of them being ladies. This was followed by a big demonstration and public tea at the Garrison Hall, while in the evening a public meet ing was addressed by the Premier and visiting M.l’.’s, Mr. Coates being in the chair.

The Premier, to whom a resolution of welcome and confidence was enthusiastically carried by the exceptionally large •audience, said that two reasons why he was very pleased to be present were that his first political constituency extended into a portion of Albertland, and that his parents, although actually not Albertlanders, came out to New Zealand at the same time ami under similar conditions. He therefore looked upon me occasion as a jubilee of his own, and he recognised in the faces before him very many old friends. (Applause.) He could not express the admiration he felt for the Albertland settlers, because of their pluck, their grit, and their success. They were not only heroes and heroines, but they -were benefactors to the Dominion. Further, they and their descendants would yet make the Non. a of Auckland one.of the brightest spots in the British Dominions. Mr. Glover had suggested the erection of a monument to those pioneers, but he (the speaker) thought it unnecessary. Their monument had been established for all time in the smiling fields and prosperous settlers. His ambition was to see on the lands of New Zealand a strong and independent yeomanry, possessing "their freehold, and outnumbering the dwellers in the city. There should be a majority of producers over and above consumers. He predicted that the dairy cow and i.ie fruit trees would do more towards the prosperity of the North than the timoer and kauri gum industry had done in the past. Air. Massey concluded by wishing the settlers all the prosperity which they merited, and resumed his seat amidst applause. A most enjoyable musical programme was provided by Albertlanders, thus completing a function of outstanding felicity. CATHOLIC PRIEST HONOURED. A- large and enthusiastic gathering ot the Catholic community, and the numerous friends of Rev. Fr. Holbrook. Adm. St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Auckland, filled the Concert Chamber of the Town Half last week to bid farewell to him before leaving on a well-earned holiday for the Old Country. His Lordship Dr Cleary, Rt. Rev. Algr. Gillan, V.G., and 30 diocesan priests, the Marist Brothers, Ins Worship the Mayor, Messrs A. M. Myers and J. H. Bradney, Al.P.’s were ‘amormst those present. Mr P. .1. Nerhenv. .1.1'., was in the chair. Mr M. ,1. Sheahan (hon. secretary and treasurer) to read the address to Father Holbrook, which set out the many good qualities and works accomplished by the recipient, notably the reduction of the cathedral debt by £3,000, the care of the orphans and sick and distressed, and the establishment of confraternities, and wishing him an enjoyable trip and speedy return. The chairman then handed to Father Holbrook the address, and the treasurer presented a purse containing 200 guineas. The Bishop bore eloquent testimony to the excellent work and character of Father Holbrook. He was gratified at the manifestation of love and esteem evinced not only by Catholics, but nonCatholies. He had pleasure in announcing for the first time that on his return Father Holbrook would fill the. position of Chancellor of the Auckland Diocese, (Applause.) His Worship the Mayor (Mr C. J, Parr) said he had had ample opportunities ot judging of the work of Father Holbrook in the city, and he entertained for him the highest regard. (In behalf of the citizens he wished Father Holbrook a pleasant trip. Messrs A. M. Myers and .1. H. Bradney, and Messrs Moore and.il. Higgins, and Alons. Gillan all spoke eulogistically of Father Holbrook. An address and travelling trunk from the Celts' Society were presented' by the pre aidcut of the Society- (Mr Hall.Skelton};

Father Holbrook, on rising to reply, was accorded an . ovation. He thanked all of them for their .high encomiums, which had overwhelmed him. He had. in the words of the address, striven “ to be faithful”; he would try to be ever so. He was gratified at the evidence of amity in our city, for no matter at which altar they worshipped they could," as citizens of our great city and Dominion, unite to make life brighter and happier. He thanked the committee who worked so hard to make a success of the function in his honour. He would always look back upon it with gratitude and appreciation.