Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), Wednesday 8 March 1950, page 2


One-man Show By

Jean Bellette

Miss Jean Bellette's exhibition, which opens at the Macquarie Galleries to-day, is one of the most stimulating and refreshing that has been seen here for a long time.

The exhibition is dominated by some half-dozen paintings whose subject matter is based on Greek mythology.

She paints with a strong, sombre palette and her forms are sculptured with great decision.

She uses paint sensuously and pas-sionately, as paint, not as so many contemporary Australians do, as

mere colour.

This shows most clearly in the beautiful rich colours of the "Still Life with Wooden Bowl."

With its daringly centralised com-position, the subdued, glowing col-ours with their rich textures or-ganised without hesitation into a pic-torial entity, make it a most satis-fying painting.

The emotional and pictorial com-plexity of the large canvas, "Conver-sations Near the River," makes this the most successful of the myth paintines.

Although it is not so precisely stated as the "Flight With Orestes," it avoids its slight touch of stagi-

ness.

There are several monotypes

which are notable for their restraint and taste, particularly "The Greek Woman" and the gay little "Sirens."

-G.G.