Notes
Notes
A Summer Idyll by James Nairn
This article first appeared in The Press on 1 March 2006
The arrival of the Scottish artist James Nairn in New Zealand in 1890 is viewed by many as an important event in the history of New Zealand's art history. Nairn brought with him methods and approaches to art which provided fresh and vibrant perspectives to the established, conservative academic styles which had come to dominate New Zealand art throughout the mid to late 19th century.
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Captured Light The Glass Collection
From the intense luminosity and poignant evocation of traditional stained glass windows to the vivid colours, spectacular forms and mesmerizing surface textures achieved by many contemporary artists, glass is a rewarding medium for both creator and viewer. Currently numbering only twenty one items, the Gallery's glass holdings make up the smallest of the Collections, but range from historically important commemorative windows to contemporary pieces by some of New Zealand's most significant practitioners, who have consistently renegotiated the rules and boundaries of their chosen genre.
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The Drawing Collection
Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū's Drawing Collection significantly expanded in the late 1970s, when a conscious effort was made to purchase works on paper from the varied disciplines of drawing. Prior to this, drawings came into the Gallery Collection via gifts or bequests, such as three illustrations by British/French artist George Du Maurier, gifted in 1934 by the Trustees of the artist.
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Untitled (Hop Kilns, Motueka) by Rita Angus
This article first appeared in The Press on 28 December 2005
"Malt is the soul of beer and yeast gives it life but the kiss of the hop is the vitality of that life." Tom Inglis
Nelson has long held a strong reputation for growing excellent hops with a substantial industry based on the crop being developed in the region in the late 19th century. Motueka in particular has an extremely suitable climate for growing hops and the majority of New Zealand's hop production occurs within close proximity of the town. By the 1940s commercial production of hops had fully developed into a successful horticultural enterprise which Rita Angus has in part captured in her 1941 watercolour Untitled (Hop Kilns, Motueka).
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St Brendan and the Sea Monsters by Robert Gibbings
This article first appeared in The Press on 14 December 2005
At just 14 cm tall, the exquisite St Brendan and the Sea Monsters by Irish-born Robert Gibbings (1889-1958) is one of the smallest works in Christchurch Art Gallery's collection, but carries with it some of the largest tales. A rhythmic composition of swirling sea serpents, stingrays and sharks, this finely-crafted woodcut print tells the story of 6th century Irish explorer-monk St. Brendan, or Brendan the Navigator, whose recorded travels were an important part of medieval European folklore, and which continue to fascinate.
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Untitled by Paul Johns
This article first appeared in The Press on 30 November 2005
Christchurch artist Paul Johns consistently surprises with his varied and experimental practice that has spanned nearly three decades. Currently Artist in Residence for 2005 at Tylee Cottage in Wanganui his work makes reference to the environs of Jerusalem (Hiruharama), a riverside settlement of the Wanganui River.
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12 Untitled self portraits (Set 6) (Polish mud) by Mike Parr
This article first appeared in The Press on 12 October 2005
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90˚ device, beating by Andrew Drummond
This article first appeared in The Press on 14 September 2005
90˚ device, beating by Christchurch sculptor Andrew Drummond has an audible presence in the contemporary gallery of the Christchurch Art Gallery Te Puna o Waiwhetū long before it is visible.
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Flottage by Carolyn Menzies
Flottage, by expatriate New Zealand artist Carolyn Menzies, hangs on the gallery wall as if washed up by the last tide.
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Cats in the Trees by Eileen Mayo
The pair of domestic tigers slink slyly across the surface of the paper, prowling through the branches of a suburban tree, dispatching terror throughout the bird world and trepidation into the lives of assorted dogs.