The wonderful opportunity to view, and purchase, previously unseen paintings by Rita Angus resulted in a ‘booked out’ event at the Page Blackie Gallery in March this year. An enthralled crowd heard from Jill Trevelyan, New Zealand art curator specialising in 20th century New Zealand art, reviewer and author of the book Rita Angus: The Artist’s Life, and Tony Mackle, Honorary Research Associate at Te Papa. Jill and Tony discussed Rita’s work, pivotal moments in her career and offered insights to better understand the unique position she has held in New Zealand Art.
Rita’s love of flowers is reflected in the stunning and colourful portrayals of a wide range of flowers and nature. Tony said writing his chapter for the biography Rita Angus: Life and Vision was the fastest chapter he has ever written – her love of nature provided all the inspiration he needed. “Rita Angus could have made a career as a botanical artist. The natural world of plants and flowers was fundamental to her comprehension of life, and the attributes of the botanical artist were the basics of her style: intuitive understanding of colour and form, coupled with sound draughtsmanship and technical skills.”
By popular demand you will find this chapter published online here.