B.

This scene is on an island in the Karamea River, on the West Coast where Evelyn Page went on holiday with friends during the summer of 1929/1930. The model for the painting banned it from being displayed during her lifetime, so it has been able to be exhibited only since 1978. Page has used an Impressionist style and, apart from the dominant figure, the main focus is on the effects of light in the outdoors environment, with strong highlights on the heads and shoulders of two of the figures and reflections on the surface of the water.

Born in Christchurch, Page (née Polson) studied at the Canterbury College School of Art. A member of the Canterbury Society of Arts, in 1927 she also joined The Group, formed to give artists a greater say over showing their work. Page spent a year in Britain in 1937 and on her return she and composer Frederick Page married. In 1947 they moved to Wellington from Governor's Bay, near Christchurch.