Cylchgronau Cymru

Chwiliwch trwy dros 450 o deitlau a 1.2 miliwn o dudalennau

A PAINTER IN GWYNEDD by KYFFIN WILLIAMS, O.B.E., M.A., LID., R.A.* Many years ago when I was unaware of the distinction of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion, I received an invitation to deliver a lecture to its members. Unfortunately, I am naturally addicted, when addressing assemblies, to indulge in a certain amount of flippancy an attitude that was obviously inapprop- riate on the aforementioned occasion. I was made only too aware of my shortcomings when on ceasing my flow of lighthearted anecdotes the Editor, Llewelyn Wyn Griffith, approached me. 'Kyffin', he said with a smile, 'it is the custom of the Society to publish its lectures in its Transactions. In this case I think we might give it a miss'. Tonight I must make amends, for Wyn Griffith was a valued friend who was one of the few Welshmen of distinction to encourage me when I was struggling to master the complexities of picture-making; not only did he encourage me by his visits to my lodgings in Highgate Village but he bought my work as well. I had found a true friend. The Arts obviously meant much to him and I feel that he was delighted to find a man from Gwynedd painting the landscape he knew so well. I painted his portrait in a front room in my lodgings in Bisham Gardens and I believe it was the first time I had been commissioned. It was some sort of a likeness, for it was difficult to go wrong when faced with such a distinctive head. Because of his help and friendship and because we both came from the same mountainous land, I decided to devote this lecture to Gwynedd, its characteristics, and the appeal it has had to many artists of the past and to many who work there today. I must also talk about my own love of the land and its people and what it has done for me. A Llywelyn Wyn Griffith Memorial Lecture given to the Society in London, 5 May, 1988. Chairman: Ivor Roberts-Jones, Esq., C.B.E., R.A., Ll.D.