Carving Into History
New Zealand Listener|January 5 - 11 2019

Dutch immigrant Theo Schoon cast himself as an outsider, but his true legacy – to build a bridge between European and Mori art – is revealed in a definitive new biography.

Sally Blundell
Carving Into History

Insufferable. Inflexible, intolerant and frequently insensitive. Indonesian-born Dutch artist Theo Schoon was relentless in his denigration of a Pkeh culture he saw as “ignorant, provincial, derivative”; he was dismissive of women and critical of contemporary Mori artists. But he was also generous, inspirational and, argues art historian Damian Skinner, one of the most influential figures in the story of 20th-century New Zealand art and culture.

“While he was truly awful at times, he was also mesmerising and charismatic and filled with the kind of generous knowledge that people could really profit from. He is a genius, if you believe in that word, but he is a flawed genius and he is not consistently a genius. He offended almost everybody, but his generosity and excellence as an artist mean you just had to look over that.”

Skinner does. His new biography is a compelling and decisive overview of Schoon, who died in 1985. It begins in 1915 in Central Java, where Schoon was born into a privileged colonial Dutch household in a city infused with Javanese culture. Sent back to the Netherlands for “proper” schooling, including a formal arts education in Rotterdam, Schoon experienced the outsiderness that would become part of his identity.

He and his family fled to New Zealand as Japan entered World War II. In Christchurch, Schoon gravitated to the group of artists and writers driving literary journal Landfall, including Charles Brasch, Rita Angus, Leo Bensemann and James K Baxter. By now an accomplished artist, elegant and openly gay, Schoon added an element of exoticism to the inward-looking nationalist project of New Zealand art and letters, giving lectures on Indonesian art and architecture and dramatic performances of classical Javanese dance.

Bu hikaye New Zealand Listener dergisinin January 5 - 11 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.

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

Bu hikaye New Zealand Listener dergisinin January 5 - 11 2019 sayısından alınmıştır.

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

NEW ZEALAND LISTENER DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
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 dak  |
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 dak  |
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 dak  |
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 dak  |
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 dak  |
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 dak  |
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 dak  |
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 dak  |
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 dak  |
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 dak  |
September 9, 2024