Legato in New Zealand

The new Wallace Gallery, Morrinsville, will host Legato in 2011. The opening event will be Friday 18th February, and the exhibition will run until 16 March.

Before then, though, there are still works to be written about for this blog, and a new brochure to be compiled.

Each time I am ready to take the works down from the wires I get word that someone else is coming to see the exhibition. This weekend it was an Italian family of five, who were particularly moved by the watercolours by Sarah Scott. These powerful works were also appreciated by members of the New Zealand group who visited during the week. The paintings by Susan Edge also drew questions and comment as the Italian viewers appreciated the quality of the paintings and sought to understand the meanings behind the compositions.

The Kiwi visitors were so interested in the work and the history of the exhibition space and the battle of Cassino, and asked so many interesting questions, that I forgot to take photographs of the group in the exhibition.

A recurring theme coming up in discussions here, being volunteered by people who visited Legato in Cassino, is the passion and emotion in the paintings. Quite clearly the balance of works, the varied approaches, and the emotional links to the works is being read well by the Italian viewers. While a few works are standing out as being the most powerful, poignant or memorable for visitors, it is the diversity that creates a cultural richness in the exhibition.