Collection
Clearing up after Rain, Foot of Otira Gorge

John Gibb Clearing up after Rain, Foot of Otira Gorge

From 1885 on, Scottish painter John Gibb took repeated sketching trips to Ōtira Gorge, a destination advertised in daily newspapers as offering “The Grandest Scenery in the World”. Travelling to Ōtira from Ōtautahi Christchurch at the time was quite an undertaking: a train journey to Tawera Springfield was followed by a jolting stagecoach trip through the Bealey district and Arthur’s Pass, and the accommodation options on arrival were basic. The horse-drawn travelling party pictured here had crossed Kā Tiritiri-o-te-moana Southern Alps, but were yet some hundred kilometres from their journey’s end at Hokitika on Te Tai Poutini West Coast.

He Kapuka Oneone – A Handful of Soil (from August 2024)

Collection
Bottle Lake

John Gibb Bottle Lake

Bottle Lake appears revealed at Gibb’s favoured time of day, when the sun is low on the horizon and the sky is luminous with colour. On a boat in the lake some eeling is underway. Sunlight streams across the landscape, softly striking clouds and treetops, while the grass at the water’s edge is absolutely radiant in streaks of vivid green. The scene is highly detailed and the eye is encouraged to linger on the seductive serenity Gibb has provided.

(Endless Light, 29 June 2019 – 8 March 2020)