Arrowtown (Coronet Peak from Speargrass Flat) 1953

Rita Angus made "Arrowtown (Coronet Peak from Speargrass Flat)" with watercolor. I can just imagine the quiet concentration it took to render this scene with such delicate washes of color. It's like she's trying to capture not just the look of the landscape, but its very essence. The ochres and browns of the hills are so warm, contrasting with the cool grays of the mountain. I wonder what Angus was thinking as she laid down those first strokes? Was she trying to find a way to express the deep connection she felt to the New Zealand landscape? I can see traces of Cézanne, maybe even some hints of early Mondrian in the way she flattens the space and simplifies the forms. That stone in the foreground, such a simple shape, but it anchors the whole composition. Painters like Angus are always in conversation with the painters who came before, taking what they need and making it their own. It's like we're all just passing the brush back and forth across time.