We left fairly early and soon stepped into a church holding a mess honouring those who had lost their lives the day before. Not much later as we were approaching the Cardboard Cathedral realised there was also another mess going on. It sounded as if churches had turned into gathering places for people who needed some comfort or wanted to pay their respect to the victims. And although life in the streets seemed aparently normal New Zealanders were still digesting or trying to digest what had happened.
Cardboard Cathedral designed by the Japanese architect Shigeru Ban
We then decided to spend some time at the city's major Art Gallery, said to house a collection of about 5,000 New Zealand and International works of Art. A major sculpture could be seen outside. We soon found out there were two others, one on the ground "Chapman's Homer" by Michael Parekowhai and the other one on the gallery's forecourt "Reasons for voyaging" by sculptor Graham Bennett and the architect David Cole.
I did spend quite a lot of time admiring the collection and effectively gettting to know artists I had never heard of.
Manet sitting down - Etching by Edgar Degas
Reading the Bible - Oil on canvas by Henriette Brown (1829-1901)
Henriette Brown is said to have excelled at highly realistic painting. Reading the Bible is among her finest. She produced several portraits of religios devotees and the two young women in the above painting are believed to be novices studying to enter a religious order. They are represented as virtuous with their austere black garments. The withered flowers on the table represent the vanitas symbol of the passing of time and the loss of youth.
In the wizzard's garden - Oil on canvas by George Leslie (1835-1921)
Narrative paintings such as the above painting are said to have been very popular with Victorian audiences. Loaded with symbolism that pointed out to the fallen woman, the artist provided visual references to be read by the public - the hitched-up scarlet dress, the fallen leaves on the ground and the shears which, shown with the blades open suggest a loss of virtue. Contrasted with the innocence of the female figure, the presence of a silhouetted figure entering the garden adds a revelating element.The stream separating the two figures symbolises a barrier between them.
Burial in the Winter on the island of Marken - Oil on canvas by Petrus van der Velden (1837-1913)
The artist's genre paintings are siad to have been widely appreciated by the public and the press often described him as a "distinguished Dutch artist". Van ver Velden used subdued tones to show the atmospheric effects of light on the landscape and accentuate the sombre nature of subjects like in the funerals.
Marken Funeral Barge - Oil on canvas by Petrus van der Velden (1837-1913)
This painting focuses on the final journey of a drowned fisherman, travelling by barge and accompanied by his widow, to the town of Barge, which is to be seen in the distance. By the 1870s van der Velden is siad to have established himself as a successful painter interested in realism and portraying dily lives of rural peasants.
Eternal idol - Bronze sculpture by Auguste Rodin (1840-1917)
One of the most significant sculpturors of his generation Rodin is said to have revelled in the tactile qualities of the material used for his sculptures as well as the exploration of sensuality, such as the displayed intimacy of the lovers' forms in the above sculpture, which he made in varying mediums and sizes.
I then moved into a completely different type of gallery, one whose name was "Hidden Light", showcassing early Canterbury and West coast photography and other artefacts. I though it was particularly interesting because it depicted not only characters, who may have played an important role in the past but also depicted scenes of that distant past and an array of very interesting artefacts.
Wool sorting (left) and Sheep farmers (right) by Edmund R. Wheeler (1842-1933).
Portraits by Alfred C. Barker.
Carte de visite frame by William Grand.
Tikao, or possibly Tamakeke - Head of Tribe - 1846 by Charles Meryon (1821-1868)
Hone Tikao who worked internationally as a whaler before returning to New Zealand was one of the two local signatories of the Treaty of Waitangi.
We then moved into the modern and Contemporary Art gallery, which I also found to be interesting. Some of the paintings and artistic works were particularly creative and despite not being particularly fond of modern Art I had to recognize that I really enjoyed some of those.
The Portobello Setee - Oil on board by Jacqueline Fahey (1929-)
Faced with having to jungle the roles of mother, housewife and artist, Jacqueline Fahey made her everyday environment an integral part of her Art practice. Her works of the 1970s captured the private spaces of her home, exposing all the inconvenient realities. By having drawn attention to the ordinary objects and daily routines she contributed to the increased visibility and understanding of female and motherhood.
The moving carpet on the floor, the exquisite flower arrangements, the rather impressive black and white photos taken in the aftermath of disasters, the meaningful prints following the death of a mother, the vibrant orange colour female Haka painting and the creativity around the wedding ceremony did impress me for a variety of reasons and I ultimately felt blessed for having opened up my horizons in regards to contemporary Art.
Roman Catholic Church, Apia (left) and After Tsunami Galu Afi, Lalomanu by Shigeyuki Kihara
Saying goodbye to Florence - Relief prints and screenprints by Robin White (1946-)
Tena I Ruia by Robyn Kahukiwa (1940-)
The benediction of Goat Island Our Saviour; A long view of our Very Blessed Saviour from a distance (with goats rampant) by Jacqueline Fraser.
A number of female painters would follow, none of whom I had hear of before but whose work I was impressed by.
Road through Arrowtown - oil on board by Evelyn Page (1899-1988)
Evelyn Page is said to have been part of a generation of young painters, who came through the Canterbury College School of Art in the 1920s.
Plain and hills - oil on board by Louise Henderson (1902-1994)
Untitled - oil on board by Rose Zeller (1891-1975)
She is said to have taught Art at the Christchurch Technical School where she was known for encouraging aomen students from working class backgrounds to study Art and Culture.
Little river - watercolour by Thomas Cane (1830-1905)
Old Homestead, Diamond Harbour - watercolour by Margaret Stoddart (1865-1934)
Summer - oil on canvas on board by Nugent Welch (1881-1970)
Nugent Welch is said to have been a key figure of Wellington's Art circles during the early twentieth century. Summer was painted at Silverstream with the cottage visible to the left in the background. Welch's painting, particularly in the sky is quite innovative for its time in New Zealand. The deliberate, fractured brushwork highlights Welch's interest in pointillism, which had been developed in the 1880s by French painters such as Seurat.
Lake Wakatipu - oil on board by Edward Friström (1864-1950)
Originally from Sweden, Edward Friström who arrived in New Zealand from Australia is thought to have been self- taught. He favoured pein air painting and his works stands out in New Zealand of the early twentieth century for its refreshing sense of spontaneity and vigour.
"Who are we?", was the next gallery we explored.
Sunny Hours by Robert Field Procter (left) and A hot day- Ngati Mahuta chief and advocate of the maori movement by Charles Frederick Goldie (right).
Portrait of a Maori boy by Eleanor Kate Sperrey (left) and Maori mother and child by Sidney Lough Thomson (right).
The last three galleries we visited where showcasing temporary exhibitions, one of which was rhythm and repetition by Gordon Walters, the other being Headcase by Julia Morrison and another one whose author's name I do not recall.
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