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Flood in Otira Gorge by John Gibb
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This article first appeared as 'Stormy weather' in The Press on 26 April 2013.
John Gibb Flood in the Otira Gorge
Collection of Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū; Betsy Oamara Pearce bequest, 2005
Often described in his day as the doyen of Canterbury painters John Gibb (1831-1909) was one of the first professional painters to settle in Christchurch, establish a studio and make a living from painting. A Scottish immigrant arriving in Christchurch in 1876, he positively thrived becoming a central figure in the city's art scene.
Gibb visited the Otira region at least twice in 1877 and 1885, and studies he made on these trips provided source material for his Otira paintings throughout his career. Flood in the Otira Gorge depicts the mighty Otira River in full flood, the white turbulent water contrasting strongly with the darkened forests covering the steep mountain sides and storm clouds above. Here Gibb has captured the Otira in the midst of a storm, that moment when the Gorge becomes a consumed by the incessant white-noise roar of torrents of water crashing down stream beds and waterfalls to the valley floor below. A mountain peak pushing its way through the storm clouds hints at the breathtaking scale of this landscape. But perhaps the small Cobb and Co coach making its way up the gorge road straight into the storm, the human element utterly consumed by the sheer scale of the mountains and flooded river, better illustrates the grandeur of this landscape.
Painted in 1895 Flood in the Otira Gorge remains one of Gibb's most moody paintings. The landscape is dark, threatening and gloom prevails. Parallels can be drawn with Petrus van der Velden's (1837-1913) famous paintings of the Otira region from the early 1890s. Both feature subdued, darkened palettes and convey the artist's sense of awe in the monumentality of nature. Former senior curator at the Christchurch Art Gallery, Neil Roberts, noted that the arrival of van der Velden in Christchurch in 1890 must have unsettled Gibb's position as the most senior artist in Canterbury at the time, but apparently the two got on well and van der Velden enjoyed visiting Gibb's studio.
Flood in Otira Gorge was first exhibited at the Canterbury Society of Arts in 1895 and was bequeathed to the Christchurch Art Gallery by Betsy Pearce in 2005.
Related reading: John Gibb
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John Gibb Flood in the Otira Gorge
Artist John Gibb emigrated from Scotland and settled in Christchurch in 1876, and was soon recognised as the area’s leading artist. Gibb painted in the academic style, favouring the early morning and evening light when the sun is low and the landscape is bathed for a moment in a luminous glow. Ōtira’s mountains break majestically through low cloud, as light leads the eye down to the wild, raging river below. A horse-drawn coach seems minuscule compared to the sheer force of nature as presented by Gibb.
(Endless Light, 29 June 2019 – 8 March 2020)
Notes
‘Where the picture stops and the world begins’
The way a work of art is framed affects our perception of the piece. A bad frame can detract and distract, a good frame enhances and even extends a work. While the Gallery has been closed we have updated frames for a number of works in the collection.
Notes
Across the Main Divide
One of the great benefits of living in Christchurch, especially post February 2011, is the amazing alpine playground that lies within easy reach of the city – the mighty Southern Alps.
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John Gibb Shades of Evening, the Estuary
By 1880, when the Canterbury Society of Arts was formed, John Gibb was the most popular painter of the Christchurch art world. Gibb was so highly regarded that the very first work acquired for Christchurch’s civic art collection was his Shades of Evening, the Estuary. It was purchased in 1881 by the Canterbury Society of Arts from its inaugural annual exhibition and then presented to the Gallery in 1932. Gibb loved sunsets; the golden hour when there’s still a trace of day in the sky. According to one family member Gibb would drop whatever he was doing in the evening to watch and study the setting sun. His pleasure in the atmospheric effects of evening light is apparent here, as the sun’s last rays create a subtle glow on the clouds, which is also reflected in the water. The view takes in Christchurch’s Ihutai / Avon-Heathcote Estuary.
(March 2018)
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John Gibb From the Foot of the Hills
Gibb's view of the Canterbury Plains from the foot of Christchurch's Port Hills highlights the agricultural potential of this vast, flat expanse. The plains are also known as Kā Pākihi Whakatekateka a Waitaha, which translates from Māori as the seedbed of Waitaha (the region's early inhabitants). The region was a bountiful food source for the people of Ngāi Tahu, providing just as it does today. The cows standing in the middle of the gentle Heathcote / Ōpāwaho river in this painting provide a reminder, however, that this land needs to be respected if future generations are to continue to benefit from what Kā Pākihi Whakatekateka a Waitaha has to offer.
(John Gibb, 18 December 2015 – 28 August 2016)
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John Gibb Lyttelton Harbour, N.Z. Inside the Breakwater
John Gibb’s Lyttelton Harbour, N.Z., Inside the Breakwater shows a busy port full of ships unloading and loading their cargo. By 1886, when this painting was completed, the town of Ōhinehou Lyttelton had been settled by Pākehā for thirty-seven years, and the port had become one of New Zealand’s busiest. Whakaraupō Lyttelton Harbour provided welcome refuge for ships from Te Moana-nui-a-Kiwa the Pacific Ocean beyond the harbour’s heads, particularly once the breakwater had been completed. Gibb’s painting shows fishing boats, sailing and steam ships, a launch and even a rowboat plying the sheltered waters of the harbour, busily going about their business. It was first shown at the Colonial and Indian Exhibition at the Royal Albert Hall in London in 1886, where it would have served well in promoting the progressive industry of the port and the prosperity of the Canterbury Province to an international audience.
(Ship Nails and Tail Feathers, 10 June – 22 October 2023)
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John Gibb Clearing up, Otira Gorge
Referring to food rations for a tira, or travelling party, the name Ōtira originally applied to an area on the Ōtira River where provisions were gathered before journeying eastwards over Kā Tiritiri-o-te-moana Southern Alps. In 1857, led by Te Tai Poutini West Coat chief Tarapuhi and his brother Wereta Tainui, Canterbury Provincial Council clerk Leonard Harper was the first Pākehā to cross the range, over Nōti Taramakau – which was promptly renamed Harper Pass. Tarapuhi had also mentioned the largely unused Ōtira route, which was surveyed in 1864 by 23-year-old provincial surveyor Arthur Dobson. Seen as the most suitable route for linking the eastern Waitaha Canterbury settlement to the Hokitika goldfields, a road through Ōtira – and what became known as Arthur’s Pass – opened two years later.
He Kapuka Oneone – A Handful of Soil (from August 2024)
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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)
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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)
