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five part stretcher mounted canvases that were sent out to the artists and, as the gallery director Gill
Docking noted in the catalogue introduction, ‘Each painter was left with complete autonomy over their work but was given a chance to do something which, under normal circumstances, could be uneconomic.’ The exhibition was opened at the Auckland Art Gallery by
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on his return from a visit to the United States in 1958. The painter Ross
Ritchie, who was also working at the gallery, had experience of painting billboards and was familiar with the established size for these works as being 10 x 20 feet (3.1 x 6.1 meters). This then was the size selected for the
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Art critic T. J. McNamara said of
Ritchie's work that it, ‘…dances lines around the canvas in glowing colours and happy areas of paint advance and recede in a delightful fashion. The picture goes a long way toward fulfilling the promise Ross Ritchie has shown in recent years.’
134:. Art critic Hamish Keith described Ellis's painting as, ‘expanding the image of megalomaniacal roading to a planetary scale, and out of it a powerful and dynamic image of intersecting thousand lane motorways against a richly mosaic surface.’
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Like many of the other artists in the exhibition
Mrkusich's studio was too small to accommodate even one of the four panels. Instead each panel was painted individually in the family's lounge, Mrkusich having first removed all the furniture.
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1970–71. Unlike the other painters Eaton turned the four units of the large canvas on their sides to create an elongated landscape 5 x 40 feet (1.5 x 12.2 meters)
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82:. The paintings were literally too big for the National Art Gallery in Wellington and were shown next door at the Academy of Fine Arts and too large also for the
247:, at just under 17 square metres. McCahon himself once referred to it as a ‘monster’. Before this was painted the biggest painting on canvas in the country was
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was commissioned by Keith who was the gallery's Keeper of
Collections. There was a recognition at the time that the scale of painting in
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took a number of images of the works including the painting by Wong Sing Tai. At 28 Sing Tai was the youngest of the artists chosen.
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227: When the exhibition showed at the National Art Gallery in Wellington (now Te Papa Tongarewa) the photographer
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devoted to the idea as far back as 1947. Keith had been impressed by Colin McCahon painting the large-scale
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exhibition, separated the three panels and painted over his work using one of the panels as a large kite.
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In May 1969, in anticipation of the opening of the new
Edmiston Wing at the Auckland Art Gallery,
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Prior to the exhibition, the biggest painting on canvas or board in New
Zealand was almost certainly
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852:
263:
652:
Colin McCahon. a question of faith: Stedelijk Museum
Amsterdam, 30 August - 10 November 2002 ..
454:
Hanfling, Edward (Winter 2017). "Inside the Engine Room: A conversation with Edward
Hanfling".
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208:
Peebles and
Michael Eaton were the only two South Island artists included in the exhibition.
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McCahon painted this work at the Auckland University Art School where he was still teaching
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28:
8:
739:
McNamara, T.J. (11 February 1971). "Ten Big Paintings: Masterly Work at City Gallery".
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Bloem, Marja; Browne, Martin; McCahon, Colin; Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, eds. (2002).
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was a wall-filling 4.9 sq.m., but tiny compared to the Géricault original (35 sq.m.).
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and the staff developed the concept for an exhibition of large paintings on canvas.
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was a 1971 art exhibition developed by the Auckland City Art Gallery (now known as
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755:"'Big Paintings' exhibition by New Zealand artists at the National Art Gallery"
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Keith, Hamish (February 1971). "Gallery's Gamble Paid Off: 7 Hits out of 10".
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776:"Practical religion: the resurrection of Lazarus showing Mount Martha, 1969"
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630:"February May and the Birds of Ice the Moon Drowns in its Voices of Water"
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February May and the Birds of Ice the Moon Drowns in its Voice of Water.
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by Driver in 1973 Driver also painted a smaller version of the work
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at the National Gallery in Wellington. At the Auckland Art Gallery
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at 32.5 sq.m. This made the McCahon work a good deal larger than
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Hanly was unhappy with his painting and on its return from the
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on the 9 February and ran to 28 March after which it toured to
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678:. Adam Art Gallery for Victoria University. 2005. p. 17.
511:
James, Judith (29 July 1971). "Big Art Comes to the Capital".
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In terms of modern painting the average size of works in the
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was small compared to contemporary painting overseas. The
185:. The purchase was made via McCahon's Wellington dealer
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811:"The card players: agricultural workers at rest"
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253:The Card Players: Agricultural Workers at Rest
86:where part of the exhibition was shown at the
20:'Ten Big Paintings' catalogue, February 1971
141:Whence come we? What are we? Whither go we?
832:"The Arrival of the Māoris in New Zealand"
278:exhibition was 18.91 sq.m. with McCahon's
799:. Auckland Art Gallery. 1972. p. 37.
718:. Auckland University Press. p. 78.
257:The Arrival of the Maoris in New Zealand,
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714:Wright, Alan; Hanfling, Edward (2009).
676:Victoria’s Art: A University Collection
156:Hotere's painting was purchased by the
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608:. Hodder and Stoughton. p. 167.
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31:which toured throughout New Zealand.
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433:. AH & AW Reed. pp. 92–94.
797:Colin McCahon / a survey exhibition
716:Mrkusich: The Art of Transformation
699:"Highest Price for a NZ Painting".
262:and John Louis Steele’s version of
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88:Canterbury Society of Arts Gallery
29:Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki)
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104:. The painting was gifted to the
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703:. 19 September 1972. p. 7.
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654:. Nelson: Potton p. 215.
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500:. 2 February 1971. p. 13.
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409:"Large-Scale Modern Paintings"
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387:. Random House. p. 233.
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292:(27.3 sq.m.) but well shy of
112:that is in the collection of
94:The artists and the paintings
84:Robert McDougall Art Gallery
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606:Hanly: a New Zealand Artist
106:Govett-Brewster Art Gallery
57:Large-scale Modern Painting
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225:Dedicated to Amoghasiddhi.
158:Dunedin Public Art Gallery
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496:"Gallery has big plans".
429:Brown, Gordon H. (1984).
177:arranged the purchase of
604:Hayley, Russell (1989).
383:Keith, Hamish (2008).
330:(8): 7. February 1971.
189:at a cost of $ 4,000.
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431:Colin McCahon: Artist
116:in Palmerston North.
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853:"Raft of the Medusa"
498:Press (Christchurch)
53:Museum of Modern Art
527:"Ten Big Paintings"
470:"Ten Big Paintings"
363:"Ten Big Paintings"
317:"Ten Big Paintings"
183:Victoria University
741:New Zealand Herald
294:James Rosenquist's
268:Raft of the Medusa
245:Practical Religion
173:In 1972 historian
68:Princess Alexandra
55:had an exhibition
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661:978-0-908802-91-3
276:Ten Big Paintings
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193:Milan Mrkusich
187:Peter McLeavey
175:Tim Beaglehole
110:Dimension No 6
102:Five Part Work
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235:Big paintings
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299:(80 sq.m.).
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76:Christchurch
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41:Hamish Keith
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324:AGMANZ News
264:Géricault’s
203:Don Peebles
49:New Zealand
895:Categories
685:1877309052
615:0340431296
440:0589014862
385:Native Wit
303:References
260:C F Goldie
229:Ans Westra
99:Don Driver
72:Wellington
196:Untitled.
167:Gate III.
160:in 1974.
138:Pat Hanly
114:Te Manawa
289:Guernica
280:Gate III
179:Gate III
123:Untitled
284:Picasso
132:Journey
80:Dunedin
35:History
874:"F111"
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458:(162).
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297:F-111,
473:(PDF)
320:(PDF)
215:Inch.
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720:ISBN
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656:ISBN
637:2023
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