Sketch for Central Otago (Cecil Peak, Arrowtown) 1953

Rita Angus made this watercolor sketch of Central Otago, with Cecil Peak and Arrowtown, using watercolor on paper. Angus has exploited the inherent qualities of watercolor. The washes of color create the spacious New Zealand landscape. Notice how the texture of the paper and fluidity of the paint allow for softer edges and blending of colors, contrasting with the harder lines of the mountain range. The choice of watercolor as a medium might reflect her desire for ease of portability, fitting the work into her outdoor painting practice. The medium also speaks to a tradition of landscape painting that has deep roots in the 19th century, but that Angus infused with a distinctly modernist sensibility. By carefully layering the washes, she achieves a sense of depth and atmosphere, but also flattening the composition into abstracted blocks of color, disrupting traditional distinctions between observation and aesthetic invention. Ultimately, the artwork reminds us that the choice of watercolor reflects not only a technical preference but a conscious engagement with the history and potential of the medium itself.