COLIN MCCAHON

by Hana Aoake | 7:42 pm 11/07/2010

Brett McDowell Gallery

The Colin McCahon exhibition at the Brett McDowell Gallery is a visually startling and emotionally evocative experience. Colin McCahon is regarded as one of New Zealand's greatest painters of the 20th century and he continues to have influence over a generation of modern New Zealand artists. McCahon was an artist and writer whose works are characterised chiefly by an ability to convey a critical and philosophical enquiry, which probes the depths of the human condition. This subjective exploration of the human condition is why McCahon's work continues to resonate with viewers posthumously, both locally and internationally.

McCahon’s works predominantly use the Modernist convention of the flattened, broken picture plane with reinterpretations of various Modernist styles, including Impressionism, Abstract Expressionism, and Cubism. This is particularly evident in what one would regard as his most visually alluring piece, View from the top of the cliff, Muriwai (1971). This piece is breathtaking, reminiscent of Monet's Soliel Levant (1872). McCahon masterfully substituted the New Zealand landscape's visual reality for that of his own image of the landscape through his dynamic application of subjective emotional responses. This use of landscape to convey concerns for spirituality was a primary concern for McCahon. This is evident in works such as Moby Dick is sighted off Muriwai Beach (1972), and Brenda in NZ (1967), which has a strong organic quality. These two works, as well as View from Top of the Cliff, Muriwai (1971), were also produced to express McCahon's desire to communicate his environmental concern for the West Auckland area, where he had established a studio at Muriwai beach. 

McCahon’s works exhibit religious undertones, not only via the landscapes (which denote a strong sense of spirituality) but also through his exploration of the human condition. His works throughout his career dealt with Christian themes – not only did he bring Biblical themes into the contemporary world, but he also related his concerns for the notions of life, death, faith and spirituality. This is particularly evident in such works as The Three Marys at the Tomb (1947) and 15 Drawings (1952), both of which have strong religious undertones and are of Cubist influence.

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