British Pathe

Brixton, London.

M/S of one corner of a small art exhibition at the Royal Empire Society in London. A woman is looking at the paintings whilst referring to a brochure in her hands. Another woman enters the gallery, also holding a brochure and looks at the paintings which are of exotic, oriental...

Brixton, London.

M/S of one corner of a small art exhibition at the Royal Empire Society in London. A woman is looking at the paintings whilst referring to a brochure in her hands. Another woman enters the gallery, also holding a brochure and looks at the paintings which are of exotic, oriental landscapes and people. C/U of the back of the second woman as she studies an oil painting of an orange landscape with white robed figures in the foreground. C/U of an oil painting named "Composition with Rickshaws". C/U of another painting named "Negombo Bridge at Night".

M/S of an artist's studio. On the walls and leaning against the furniture are paintings similar to those in the exhibition. The room is decorated with eastern rugs and throws and there is an oriental mask on the wall. On the floor is a drawing board surrounded by palettes and dishes of paints. The artist, George Beven, from Ceylon (Sri Lanka), enters holding a rush mat which he places onto the drawing board. The narrator reveals that Beven does not use a brush but uses his fingers instead. Low angle M/S of Beven kneeling in front of the rush mat. He uses his fingertips to apply paint onto the rush mat - he prefers rush mats or hardboard to traditional canvas. M/S over Beven's shoulder showing the early stages of his painting. C/U of Beven's hand adding yellow paint to the purple and red picture. According to the narrator Beven gave up his job as a newspaper artist to concentrate on serious painting. Beven prefers to use his fingers because it gives him "the feeling of being nearer to the picture he is doing". C/U of Beven's face as he paints.

The narrator explains Beven is "entirely self-taught and has only been using this style for the past eighteen months". C/U of half-used tubes of oil paint and Beven's hand as he selects the next colour. C/U of Beven's hand applying the paint. C/U of Beven's face and his striking light blue eyes. Top shot of the almost completed the painting of a Kandyan dancer. Various C/Us of the painting and of Beven's face. Beven's exotic eyes seem be the focus of many of these shots. Life in Ceylon is usually the subject of Beven's paintings but "when he has been in Europe a little longer he expects his range of subjects to widen considerably". M/S of Beven as he leans back and admires his work before holding it up to the camera. C/U of the completed painting. C/U of Beven looking at his work. C/U of a painting of a "Reclining Bhudda". C/U of a portrait of a Ceylonese woman.