Robert Gwelo GOODMAN South African 1871-1939 Cape
Provenance : PROVENANCE RB Stuttaford EXHIBITED Technical Institute (Fine Arts Gallery), Queen Victoria Street, Cape Town, 1901 LITERATURE Newton Thompson, Joyce. (circa 1951) Gwelo Goodman: South African Artist, London: George Allen and Unwin Ltd. Pages 9, 127 and 138 NOTES 'An exhibition [...] was held in the Technical Institute, Queen Victoria Street, Cape Town, in 1901. It was opened by Sir Alfred Milner (Governor of the Cape Colony). In three days 1,675 people passed through the gallery, and arrangements were made to keep the pictures on show two days longer than had been intended. A very fine picture of "Cape Town Docks and Table Bay", which shows Gwelo's great expertness in reproducing the sparkle and movement of water, was bought by Mr R Stuttaford, and his son, Mr R B Stuttaford, has it now. [...] Over a lunch at the Theatre Restaurant this sale was concluded for £60. When, later, Gwelo had a better offer for the picture, he considered repudiating the sale, but Morland, hearing of this through Mr Cavill, wrote to him:- "I am astonished to think even of the contemplation of your selling the picture again even though you had an offer of £1000 for it! If you are wise you will see that that picture comes to Mr Stuttaford. If you would be honestly successful abjure fencing in every case". For the rest of his life Gwelo never departed from this advice. It is interesting to note that, up till this time, Gwelo's pictures had all been signed "Rob" or "Robert Goodman" - actually the only name he received at his christening. During this visit to South Africa, Gwelo discussed with Morland his chronic shortage of funds and the difficulty he was experiencing in getting known in the artistic world in London. Morland's son remembers his father who suggested that one way of distinguishing himself from other artists in England would be to adopt a decidedly Southern African name. Since the Rhodesian town of Gwelo was founded in 1895, at the time that the young artist was launching out on his career, that was the name Robert Goodman incorporated in to his own, and, from 1901 onwards, the signatures "R Gwelo Goodman" and "RGG" replaced his earlier ones.' Page 9.
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