Eileen Mayo

England / Australia / Aotearoa New Zealand, b.1906, d.1994

The Doves

1948
Wood engraving
Purchased 1972
172 x 123mm
72/27

Tags: animals, birds (animals), monochrome, pairs, plants (living organisms), stylization

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Exhibition History

Related reading: The Golden Age

Cut it out

Eileen Mayo has more than a few fans here at Christchurch Art Gallery and for me her linocuts are a standout of her works represented in the Gallery's collection.

Eileen Mayo

It's 107 years since this multi-talented artist, described by art historian Kenneth Clark as 'outstandingly good', was born in Norwich, England.

Five eyes by Eric Ravilious

This article first appeared as 'Artist captured poetry in wood carving' in The Press on 11 November 2014.

Lorton, Cumberland by Tom Chadwick

This article first appeared as 'Wood engraving artist finally won recognition' in The Press on 27 June 2014.

Death and the woodcutter by Leo Bensemann

This article first appeared as 'Death mastered' in The Press on 28 March 2013.

Ruth Lowinsky by Eric Gill

This article first appeared as 'An oblique profile' in The Press on 12 July 2013.

If the question "what is the largest individual collection area numerically held by the Gallery?" was to be asked, the answer would have to be the Works on Paper collection, within which are 2145 original contemporary and historical prints, the earliest dating from the second half of the fifteenth century.

Notes

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.

Article

Tomorrow, Book, Caxton Press, Landfall

In the decades before and after the Second World War, Christchurch experienced a remarkable artistic efflorescence that encompassed the visual arts, literature, music, theatre and the publishing of books and journals. And the phenomenon was noticed beyond these islands. For instance, in his 1955 autobiography, English publisher and editor of Penguin New Writing and London Magazine, John Lehmann, wrote (with a measure of exaggeration, perhaps) that of all the world’s cities only Christchurch at that time acted ‘as a focus of creative literature of more than local significance’.

Continued

Collection

E. Mervyn Taylor Tauhou Feeding Chick

Aotearoa’s best-known and respected printmaker working during the twentieth century, Mervyn Taylor produced at least 239 wood-engravings over the course of his career, and many more linocuts as well. He initially worked as a jeweller, for which his training included engraving. Unlike his contemporaries who trained at art schools throughout the country and abroad, Mervyn was self-taught. His prints focused on subjects that were unique to Aotearoa at a time when a national identity was at the forefront of Pākehā art, including elements from Māori culture as well as landscapes and native flora and fauna. His wood-engravings remain popular and are highly sought after.

Ink on Paper: Aotearoa New Zealand Printmakers of the Modern Era, 11 February – 28 May 2023

Collection

Agnes Miller Parker Fish

Agnes Miller Parker was a prolific wood engraver and illustrated numerous publications throughout her career. She specialised in nature subjects, particularly animals and plants found in Britain. Parker studied at the Glasgow School of Art and was introduced to wood engraving by Gertrude Hermes and Blair Hughes-Stanton. All three artists worked as illustrators for the Gregynog Press in 1930. Parker was a member of the Society of Wood Engravers and the Royal Society of Painter-Etchers and Engravers.