A NEW ZEALAND ARTIST.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1057, 21 February 1911, Page 6

A NEW ZEALAND ARTIST.

IMPRESSIONS OF A VISIT TO ENGLAND. (By TclcErapli.—Special Corrcenonicct.l Christchurch, February 20. Mr. W. Menzios Uibb, tho well-known artist, ha? just returned from a visit to lingland where, ho spent several months sketching and visiting tho English and Scottish galleries. "It is my opinion," snid Sir. Gibbs to a "Press" reporter, "n'nd it was also that of George liouston, It.S.A.—one of the best of tho Scottish painters—that landscape painting in England; and Scotland has never approached so near perfection as ct prescut. ' A notablo fact was that landscape painting seemed to ho improving more than figiiro painting. Ono thing that impressed mo when I visited tho galleries was the number of bad pictures painters exhibited. New Zealanders are not to think that in art matters at Homo thero is no toleration of mediocrity, and thoso attending colonial exhibitions and seeing some indifferent pictures are inclined to ask why such rubbish is luiiuj; but it seems to mo that in every exhibition you have a percentage of poor stuff." Mr. Gibb.arrived in Great Britain too lato .to exhibit in any of tho galleries. Houston expressed tho opinion, however, that Mr. Gibb's water-colours were quite good enough to exhibit, nnd ho urged tho New Zcalnnder to send some to tho Glasgow nnd Edinburgh exhibitions, and Mr. Gibb intends to do so. Ho has brought hack with him.a well-filled portfolio of studies nnd sketches in oils and water-colours of English and Scottish scenes, and theso ho hopes to-ex-hibit at an early date., "For the landscape painter," Mr. Gibb said, "it is a difficult thing to get on with one's work in Great Britain owimr to the number of rainv dnys experienced. Thero is no doubt that, at Homo the colour and atmosphere and the haze that is rarely absent make work easier."