Commissioner

Rabaul’S District

Turns Artist

From Our Own Correspondent

Rabaul, July 3.

AN interesting exhibition of 12 oil-paintings has been held this week at the Rabaul Pub lic Library.

They represent the spare-time work of self-taught artist. District Commissioner J. K. Macarthy.

About two years ago Mr. Mac arthy started experimenting with oils. These pictures are the result.

With the exception of one paint ing the subjects are all Island ones.

Captain Irving Johnson, visiting skipper of the Yankee, recently in port here, was enchanted with a

scene painted at the local native market. This he took away with him, as a memento of his visit to Rabaul.

Most striking painting in the col lection is a large portrait of a Sepik native artist, sitting in his hut, with a recently executed paint ing in the background.

The sombre tones of the portrait, the dejection in the pose of the

Shown here are some of the pictures—a still life. Sepik artist, a native house. and Watom Is., off New Britain. —Photo by C. H. Meen.

model, his weird painting in the background, and the squalid dark ness of the hut’s interior, all com bine to make a forceful picture, ably executed.

This is the least academic of the exhibits. Mr. Macarthy, with the free treatment of this subject has portrayed, in some way, dual per sonality of the Sepik—the wild man who kills or paints with equal facility.

THIS is the first time Mr. Mac arthy has been persuaded to exhibit his pictures. Many have been given away to visitors who admired them at his home on Namanula Hill.

The exhibition was held mainly to get an idea of the public reac tion to the pictures.

This has not been left in doubt.

For the first three days of the ex hibition, Mrs. Macarthy, who is her husband’s severest critic, was inun dated with inquiries from prospec tive purchasers, among local resi dents, who showed their interest and appreciation in no uncertain way.