B.
Focused
Behind the scenes
Rudolf Gopas, who was born on 13 December in 1913, is perhaps best known for his expressionist paintings.
The Gallery has several fine examples of such works in its collection, but we also hold a number of his black and white photographs, some of which are interesting because of their subject – like the ones taken in Christchurch or at Kaikoura – and others because of their almost forensic attention to light, movement and texture.
Rudolf Gopas Untitled. Black and white photograph. Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, presented to the Gallery by Airini Gopas 1986. Reproduced with permission
Rudolf Gopas Untitled. Black and white photograph. Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, presented to the Gallery by Airini Gopas 1986. Reproduced with permission
Rudolf Gopas Hawkes Bay Ladies Champion Hitting Off First Hole at Waimairi Beach Golf Course. Black and white photograph. Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, presented to the Gallery by Airini Gopas 1986. Reproduced with permission
Rudolf Gopas Brooklands. Black and white photograph. Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, presented to the Gallery by Airini Gopas 1986. Reproduced with permission
It's fascinating to compare his photographs of old wharves and boats with his oil paintings on the same subject and to see how he translated the shapes and deep shadows caught on film into glowing shards of colour.
Rudolf Gopas Old Wharf, Sumner. Black and white photograph. Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, presented to the Gallery by Airini Gopas 1986. Reproduced with permission
Rudolf Gopas The Old Wharf, Kaikoura 1958. Oil on board. Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, purchased 1985. Reproduced with permission.
Rudolf Gopas Craypots and boats near old wharf, Kaikoura. Black and white photograph. Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, presented to the Gallery by Airini Gopas 1986. Reproduced with permission
Rudolf Gopas Trawlers 1959. Oil on hardboard. Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū, purchased 1959. Reproduced with permission.
To see all of the images, go to the Rudolf Gopas Photographs set in My Gallery
Related
Collection
Rudolf Gopas The Trawlers
These fishing boats were moored at Lyttelton, separated from Christchurch by the Port Hills. Now accessible by tunnel, there used to be a passenger train to Lyttelton and Rudi Gopas often spent time sketching there. Lyttelton is the cargo port for Canterbury but Gopas has chosen to emphasise the fishing fleet instead.
The simplified drawing and strong colour applied with bold brushstrokes show the influence on Gopas of German Expressionism. The energy and vigour of his style reinforces the fact that he has taken a subjective, rather than objective, approach to the landscape.
Gopas was born in Lithuania. From 1945 to 1949 he and his wife, Natasha, lived in a refugee camp in Ehrwald, Austria. They then came to New Zealand. As well as painting, Gopas worked as a photo processor in Dunedin and Christchurch, where he began exhibiting with The Group. From 1959 to 1977 he lectured in Painting at the Canterbury University School of Fine Arts where he had a considerable influence on a generation of painters.