Artist Who Captured

Tahiti's Charms

Success of Allister MacDonald

From Our Own Correspondent.

Papeete, Mar. 16.

]Y|U. Allister Macdonald, The

distinguished artist, returned to Tahiti by the last Hauraki after a pro longed sojourn abroad.

There are many who hold the opinion that alone, among the many painters who have essayed the task, Mr MacDonald has succeeded in truly picturing the charm and colouring of the Islands. He has succeeded in capturing that dazzling, crystal light which, on certain sunny days, transfigures our land and seascapes into dreams of celestial splendour.

Mr. MacDonald’s paintings have been acclaimed in England as works of genius.

They have received the accolade of ad mission into one of the great galleries of London, which has bought many for permanent exhibition.

We have had many painters in Tahiti.

While the Gauguin vogue was at its height, artists descended like a plague on our islands. Most of them were of the pink tree, yellow ocean and brown sky school. During a period which seemed to promise no end they violated and outraged the beauties of our islands until Nature herself trembled. For the first time in Tahiti in the memory of man, earthquakes started and continued almost daily during two years or more.

These painters were earnest folk. They tried patiently to initiate us into the higher mysteries of modern art. They loaned us books and showed us pictures.

But in spite of their endeavours and our eager desire for culture, when ever we were placed before a canvas whereon some golden brown maiden had been dis torted to the semblance of a giraffe and coloured like a Zulu afflicted with cyan osis, we were invariably conscious of sharp, shooting pains, followed by a las s tude which remained for days.

Our instructors finally became peevish, cast us into the outer darkness, and called us Philistines!