Colin McCahon

Aotearoa New Zealand, b.1919, d.1987

Red and black landscape

  • 1959
  • Solpah and sand on board
  • Donated from the Canterbury Public Library Collection, 2001
  • Reproduced courtesy of Colin McCahon Research and Publication Trust
  • 672 x 440mm
  • 95/52

For the exhibition I See Red (5 December 2007 - 23 November 2008) this work was displayed with the following label: Colin McCahon’s combination of sky, sea and land is the simplest of landscapes, but by using powerful red and black, he has created a painting filled with mystery and weight.

‘Red sky at morning, shepherd’s warning, Red sky at night, shepherd’s delight’ goes the old saying. This could be sunset or sunrise, a perfect day to come or a perfect storm. Which would you choose?

Exhibition History