I had been there less than a minute, and Rita Angus was suddenly filling my creative cup.
I was impressed by the grand projections on the walls introducing Rita Angus: New Zealand Modernist when I walked in with my lifelong friends and fellow artists Ingrid and Emily (and her wee bubs in the pram). It made me want to turn around, go home and paint my heart out just by seeing it.
Before this exhibition, I didn’t know much about Rita Angus except that she was a feminist, a pacifist and a famous New Zealand “woman painter”. The last time I had the privilege of viewing her artworks was well over a decade ago at the Christchurch Art Gallery when I was a teenager. All I knew back then was that I liked her art a lot, and that visit added fuel to my artmaking. I was looking forward to seeing her paintings again.
The art exhibition showcases over 70 of her works, mostly in watercolours and oils, on display at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa from 18 December 2021 to 25 April 2022.
Two massive projections on 7m high x 13m wide walls playing a looped film pulled us in. It showed close-ups of the watercolour paintings that Rita made on her trips to Central Otago in the summer of 1953; and how she incorporated them into one incredible oil painting. Beautiful and sometimes sad flowing orchestral music played over the projections, hinting at a connection between Rita’s art and the music – as if it was the soundtrack of her life.
When we entered the first gallery, her iconic self-portraits met us face to face. I will never get over the thrill of seeing an original painting close up. Soon we were off looking at her Cass paintings that Ingrid had been itching to see, and it was downhill from there. Rita’s world sucked us in. We were there for hours.
“I just wanna tell them to stop and actually look!”
Emily’s comment made me giggle. She was talking about the school groups coming through the exhibition. Some students took the time to look at these incredible originals, but most were flying through (maybe wanting to keep up with their friends or get to the fun art activity at the end?) One girl was walking along, taking photos with her phone of each painting, not breaking her stride as she did it. Perhaps she was being efficient in collecting references for an assignment. I’m not sure. Meanwhile, we took our time, reading the stories behind the paintings, sharing our thoughts and discussing which artworks were our favourites and why.
“I’ve tried through the medium of paint to express … how simple and wonderful living is …”
— Rita Angus, 1944
I was looking forward to seeing Rita’s unfinished watercolours because other than her self portraits – I remember those the most from the Christchurch Art Gallery. We enjoyed seeing the pencil lines and the parts she chose to colour first. It gave us a glimpse into her process.
Some of her sketchbooks were on display too, and it was refreshing to see raw working sketches like the ones found in our own sketchbooks. We discussed how sometimes artists on social media make their sketchbooks look all glammed up. But things don’t have to be “perfect” – they can be messy and still be appreciated. Rita’s used and loved sketchbooks were just as interesting to look at as the finished paintings.
Rita’s life seemed complex, full of human struggles and joys.
Other than her obvious artistic skills, maybe that is one reason why her paintings pull us in – because we have all experienced the emotional, physical, mental and spiritual struggles and joys that come with being human, and we can identify with her in some way.
There is so much I want to say after seeing her art: how the waterlily painting she made while she was recovering from a breakdown speaks gently to my struggles, how her self portraits seemed to soften by the end of her life, how seeing and reading about her artist life makes me want to be known while I’m alive and not just after I’m gone, and to know others deeply and genuinely while I’m here. I also loved that she would take art trips with her friends to sketch and paint. I’m thankful for the countless painting sessions Emily, Ingrid and I have spent working on our projects, encouraging each other and talking about life.
The story of Bolton Street Cemetery
Rita’s paintings of the Bolton Street Cemetery stopped me in my tracks. My husband, Daniel, works in the cemeteries industry, and he is passionate about cemetery histories. He was the one who told me about Bolton Street Cemetery and that for the Wellington Urban Motorway to pass through the site, the City Council had over 3 thousand graves disinterred. I think about it every time I drive through there and see the headstones on either side of the road.
Rita was shocked when she found out what was going to happen, and she reacted by visiting the cemetery before and during the demolition to create artworks of the headstones and record inscriptions. I love that she did that. She captured a part of our history through artmaking.
After the Christchurch Earthquakes, my mum told me that sometimes, when she drove through the city, she struggled to remember which buildings used to be on the flattened sections. She said it was important for artists to capture the scenes around them so that people could remember them and that future generations could see them. Rita did that in those paintings of Bolton Street Cemetery. She was alive for the demolition, and she captured it for us.
Powerful, reflective, and human: here are 3 of my favourite artworks from the Rita Angus Exhibition…
View on Te Papa’s website: https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/agent/74
Powerful: It was my first time seeing this painting. The sky billowing with smoke in magnificent colours and shapes blew me away.
View on Te Papa’s website: https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/135195
Reflective: I saw it from across the room and thought it was a photograph. No, up close, it was definitely a painting. I studied it for a long time because it was such a peaceful image. It makes me happy that half of the picture is bright green, and she left the white spaces to make it work.
View on Te Papa’s website: https://collections.tepapa.govt.nz/object/462276
Human: I stood in front of this one for a long time, feeling thankful for such an honest picture. The label beside this portrait said that Rita had suffered a miscarriage and drew this after. I reflected on the childbirths I had gone through. I dwelled on the different states my body and mind have been in over the years. I thought about how I felt now.
Te Papa, how full-circle and beautifully done.
On the way out, we sat down and watched the projections again. I wondered aloud if the accompanying music was composed by Rita’s friend Douglas Lilburn whose portrait we had seen in the exhibition. We had read about their romance and friendship and how she considered him her artistic soulmate. We checked the wall labels and were excited to discover that it was indeed Lilburn’s composition. As someone who has not read Rita Angus’ biography, this exhibition was a fantastic introduction to her life and her complex inner world.
Share your thoughts.
After seeing Rita’s artworks, I feel encouraged to be myself. I want to turn the ideas in my heart and mind into something tangible, beautiful and worthwhile.
Who is one of your favourite artists, and how has their art impacted you? I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below, and I know others will also appreciate it.
If you would like to check out my friends Emily and Ingrid’s art on Instagram, please click on their lovely faces 🙂
“I will give thanks and praise to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Wonderful are Your Works, And my soul knows it very well.”
— Psalm 139: 14
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Beautifully written dear Katie – you are such a beautiful soul and your heart is open, generous and full of love ❤
Thank you, Nana 🙂