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Povi Christkeke by Michel Tuffery
Povi Christkeke (Christchurch Bull), a large bullock constructed from flattened and riveted re-cycled corned beef tins, is a colourful and seemingly celebratory sculpture. Artist Michel Tuffery constructed two of these corned beef bull sculptures for a ritual performance entitled Pisupo Lua Afe at the 1997 Christchurch Arts Festival. Pisupo Lua Afe was also included at the inaugural Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art in Brisbane 1993.
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Large Kitchen Composition by Michael Smither
This article first appeared in The Press on 8 June 2005
In 1965, when Large Kitchen Composition was painted, Michael Smither was a young, emerging artist on the verge of broader success. Since completing studies at Elam Art School in 1960, he had held a number of solo shows in Auckland, New Plymouth and Wellington, returning to his hometown of New Plymouth in 1962, and marrying in 1963 (the future writer) Elizabeth. He was also a new father.
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Mauria mai, tono ano by Fiona Pardington
This article first appeared in The Press on 11 May 2005
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A Barn in Picardy by Frances Hodgkins
This article first appeared in The Press on 30 March 2005
In the spring of 1914, Frances Hodgkins looked out from the cool interior of a barn in Picardy, northern France, and shaped vigorous black lines into wandering hens, the corner of a farm wagon, rustic beams, the outline of a wall. Transparent watercolour wash covered the light-filled centre, while splashes of colour defined potted geraniums, fresh green leaves and pink blossom. Hodgkins had arrived in May at the tiny cliff-top village of Equihen, Boulogne-sur-Mer, to paint and teach from an artists' studio cottage perched high above the roar of the English Channel. While the setting of her studio - on the edge of the village by rolling farmland - delighted her, she had reached here with little will to paint, and very much in a state of shock.
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Akaroa Harbour by William Watkins
This article first appeared in The Press on 17 November 2004
The 4th November 2004 marked the centennial anniversary of the death of the Canterbury artist, William Montague Nevin Watkins (1835-1904). Having lived in Akaroa for most of his life Watkins, known as ‘Will the artist' to his friends, produced a substantial body of paintings relating to Banks Peninsula, particularly of Akaroa's inner harbour. The scene which unfolds in Akaroa Harbour is one of the best known and loved views of Banks Peninsula. It is as popular with today's mosdern tourists who care to make the drive over the winding road from Little River to Barry's Pass, known as the Hilltop, as it was with travellers of the 19th century. The sweeping panorama offered from the vantage point of the Hilltop provides an impressive view of Akaroa's upper harbour with Barry's Bay and the distinctive tear drop shape of Onawe Peninsula directly below. Akaroa, nestled into the hills and valleys below Stony Bay Peak, is to be seen in the distance. The breathtaking scene invites the tourist to descend down into the harbour and explore the beautiful landscape below.
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Factory at Widnes by L.S. Lowry
This article first appeared in The Press on 13 October 2004
Laurence Stephen Lowry painted Factory at Widnes in 1956, at which time he was Britain's most famous living painter. Lowry's fame increased in that year as he became the subject of a BBC television documentary, though his work had already been popular in British homes and schools as reproductions since the end of the war. If appreciation for his individualistic painting style was widespread, there was also fascination with L.S. Lowry the artist, who had projected in the press the image of a lonely recluse.