Monuments to patience
New Zealand Listener|September 16 - 22 2023
The late Francis Pound's homage to one of our greatest painters is a magnificent mystery story told by a master.
BRIAN BOYD
Monuments to patience

Francis Pound writes: "It has long been my experience that when we New Zealanders want to show something of our art to visitors from Europe, we show them McCahon. But what they want to see is Walters." I myself would prefer to take visitors to see the work of carver Pataromu Tamatea or later Robin White or Gordon Walters of any period, from the Koru series to before and after. And I would feel the more confident in doing so from all I have learned from Pound's magnificent, magisterial Gordon Walters.

This mighty monograph is an art history masterclass, the most in-depth study of an unfolding artistic imagination this country has produced. You can enjoy its 429 illustrations as a vivid record of Walters' development, achievement and influences, his groping in what would turn out to be "only one direction", to cite Colin McCahon and the title of Peter Simpson's first volume in his fine study of McCahon. But you can enjoy the illustrations vastly more, for all the immediate impact of Walters' best work, early and late - from 1947 to 1995 - by understanding the artist's context and his continual struggle toward his own private standards of perfection, his inventive and "sumptuous" austerities, his static dynamism.

Pound makes you see Walters' works and their contexts, international, local and personal, their intense seriousness and intense but calm play. He dives deep, as Walters did, and takes us with him, further than we thought we could go. He wants "to put Walters' work before the reader in all of its variety and complexity", and he does. He could have added "and in all of its interconnectedness".

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM NEW ZEALAND LISTENERView all
First-world problem
New Zealand Listener

First-world problem

Harrowing tales of migrants attempting to enter the US highlight the political failure to fully tackle the problem.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Applying intelligence to AI
New Zealand Listener

Applying intelligence to AI

I call it the 'Terminator Effect', based on the premise that thinking machines took over the world.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Nazism rears its head
New Zealand Listener

Nazism rears its head

Smirky Höcke, with his penchant for waving with a suspiciously straight elbow and an open palm, won't get to be boss of either state.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Staying ahead of the game
New Zealand Listener

Staying ahead of the game

Will the brave new world of bipartisanship that seems to be on offer with an Infrastructure Commission come to fruition?

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Grasping the nettle
New Zealand Listener

Grasping the nettle

Broccoli is horrible. It smells, when being cooked, like cat pee.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Hangry? Eat breakfast
New Zealand Listener

Hangry? Eat breakfast

People who don't break their fast first thing in the morning report the least life satisfaction.

time-read
3 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Chemical reaction
New Zealand Listener

Chemical reaction

Nitrates in processed meats are well known to cause harm, but consumed from plant sources, their effect is quite different.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Me and my guitar
New Zealand Listener

Me and my guitar

Australian guitarist Karin Schaupp sticks to the familiar for her Dunedin concerts.

time-read
2 mins  |
September 9, 2024
Time is on my side
New Zealand Listener

Time is on my side

Age does not weary some of our much-loved musicians but what keeps them on the road?

time-read
7 mins  |
September 9, 2024
The kids are not alright
New Zealand Listener

The kids are not alright

Nuanced account details how China's blessed generation has been replaced by one consumed by fear and hopelessness.

time-read
4 mins  |
September 9, 2024