Petrus van der Velden

Netherlands / Aotearoa New Zealand / Australia, b.1837, d.1913

Mountain Stream Otira Gorge

  • c. 1912
  • Pencil
  • Presented by the family of A. F. Nicoll, 1960
  • 400 x 245mm
  • 89/115

Van der Velden: Otira, 11 February – 22 February 2011

This squared-up tracing drawing relates specifically to the large oil painting Otira Gorge seen on the next wall. It provides a fascinating insight into the process by which van der Velden created his large paintings on canvas. Tracings such as this would be taken from original sketches, and then squared up in preparation for the transfer of the image to a large canvas. This process allowed the artist to maintain the correct scale and proportions in the finished work.

Exhibition History

earlier labels about this work
  • Quadrant: Four themes of Petrus van der Velden, 20 October 2006 – 25 March 2007

    This squared-up tracing drawing of the Otira Gorge provided important steps for Van der Velden to complete his large oil paintings of the same subject. Often, he would take these tracings from original sketches and square them up in preparation for transferring the image to a large canvas. This allowed him to keep the correct scale and proportions in the finished work.

    This tracing drawing relates to the large oil painting of the same name.