Arthur Legge, «Bazaar» 1928, Watercolour, Costas and Rita Severis Foundation Collections
Arthur Legge was a British artist who loved to travel and paint. He came to Cyprus in 1928 and stayed here for eight whole years, until 1936. While in Cyprus, he mostly stayed in Kyrenia, which he loved, but he also travelled elsewhere.
He liked to paint the beautiful landscapes of Cyprus. He also particularly loved to paint scenes from everyday life. He loved to observe people and their way of life, so, through his paintings, we can learn a lot about the lives of people in Cyprus at the time.
Activity one: 'When I'll go to the market my lady'
If not, look for it online, there are videos with English subtitles! It is about a farmer who goes to the market to buy animals.
In Arthur Legge’s painting you can see how a market like the one mentioned in the song might have looked like.
Now think about this:
- In an age when there were no supermarkets or malls as we know them today, what would you have been able to buy in a bazaar?
Have another look at the painting, you will surely find some answers there.
Activity two: Be part of the painting
Can you see the boy inside the painting?
Close your eyes and travel back in time. Imagine that you are this boy at the bazaar. Try to mimic his look and posture.
- What do you see around you?
- What do you see when you look at the sky?
- What are these people talking about?
- It is calm or noisy around you?
- What can you smell?
- Go to the vendors’ counters. What can you touch there?
What is this boy thinking and feeling? Have you ever been on your own in a noisy place? If yes, how did that make you feel?
Activity three: Observe people’s clothes
Did you know
…that people back then used to dress much differently than we do today? A man would wear a type of pleated baggy trousers called ‘vraka’, a waistcoat and on his head, a hat called ‘fez’ or a turban. A woman would wear a long skirt with a short jacket, or a long dress and her head would have been covered with a handkerchief.
At the bazaar one could meet people from all of the island’s communities. One way to tell which community a person came from was by observing their clothes. Muslims wore lighter and Christians darker colours.
Now, you can print this picture below and add colours to it!
Challenge: A stroll at the open market
*Did you know
…you can still find bazaars in some areas. We call them open markets. They are very different from the old bazaars but it would definitely be interesting to visit one of them.
When you go to the open market:
- Close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you.
- Take a deep breath and try to describe the smells around you.
- Go to the vendors’ counters and touch the products.
Take a photograph or create your own painting using watercolours. Send it to us at education@severis.org with the title 'Museum at Home'
Let's go to the museum
We would love to welcome you and your family at the museum!
- On the museum’s 2nd floor, behind the red room, you can look for Arthur Legge’s painting. Next to it you can find another beautiful painting of the Friday market. What are the differences and the similarities between these two paintings?
- After that, you can go down to the 1st floor and look for the mannequins that wear traditional costumes. Can you remember which people wore the light and which ones the darker colours?
- How do you think people carried their groceries in older times? You will find the answer observing the figures with the traditional costumes. The lady with the dark clothes carries a ……………………… and the lady with the light clothes carries a ………………….
- Look around the drawers of the room and search for such similar objects!
