Sketch for Central Otago (Naseby) 1953

Rita Angus made this watercolour, Sketch for Central Otago (Naseby), with light washes of earthy yellows and oranges, punctuated by touches of green and blue. You can see where her hand confidently guided the brush, how the artwork came to be, shifting between observation and feeling. Imagine being the artist, there in the landscape. What might Angus have been thinking, as she looked out at those hills, casting shadows and sunlight, and tried to capture them on paper? Her technique is so delicate! The paint is thin, almost translucent, allowing the whiteness of the paper to peek through. Notice how the horizontal strokes create a sense of depth, pulling us into the landscape. Her use of colour to suggest form reminds me of Cézanne, another painter obsessed with mountains. I think the practice of painting, for artists like Angus and Cézanne, is like a conversation across time and place. They learn from each other, inspire each other, and keep the dialogue of painting alive.