Peter McIntyre 'I like the ancient parts of Rome...' Watercolour Signed 23 x 31 cm. Although 'I like the ancient parts of Rome' by Peter McIntyre may initially seem to contrast with the official sketches and paintings by the war artist held at National Archives, this humourous cartoon would have been completed to entertain the men of New Zealand's Secondary Expeditionary Forces (2NZEF) and in fact, belongs to a popular, illustrative body of work that can be traced to the early 1930s when McIntyre was still in Dunedin. McIntyre's father set an example for his son as both commercial and serious artist, practicing as a lithographer, cartoonist and painter. In 1887 Peter McIntyre Senior printed New Zealand's first coloured lithograph, followed by numerous publicity posters for entertainers, dramatic performers and comedians. McIntyre emulated his father's esprit in cartoons he drew for student newspapers while attending the University of Otago from 1929 to 1930, in pen and ink sketches, with titles such as 'The Common Room Rabble.' More importantly, however, following McIntyre's graduation from the Slade School of Art in London (1931-1934), he was frequently employed as an illustrator for pulp fiction, romantic novels and magazines. McIntyre was well-suited to such work, revealing an ability to structure and organise images that clarified their meaning immediately for the casual reader. In 1979, art critic Peter Cape commented on this characteristic in McIntyre's painting: 'It is not only a focussing of attention it is a concentration of that foccussing.....This is perhaps one of the reasons why his works function so well as illustrations.' Before he was appointed New Zealand war artist, McIntyre also contributed illustrations for the army magazine, Parade, drawing advertisements, popular stories and pin-up girls to entertain the troops. He also sketched the 2NZEF training, relaxing, preparing meals and other duties, no doubt seeking to impress his peers and army officers, his intentions revealing his ambitions to become a war artist. Certainly, it was these skills that came to the attention of Major-General Bernard Freyberg who appointed McIntyre, New Zealand's official war artist in April 1941. Completed by following the Italian and bombing of Cassino, an event described by the aritst as 'terrifying,' McIntyre's cartoon of the young women of Rome would no doubt have offered at least some small measure of welcome respite and entertainment for the men of the 2NZEF. Dr. Warren Feeney Note: The painting appears very fresh as it has been rolled up inside two other paintings since the end of World War II