Piera McArthur: The Endless Possibilities of Portraiture

Piera McArthur - Self Portrait of a Painter, 1984.
Oil on canvas

“The Endless Possibilities of Portraiture” opening at the NZ Portrait Gallery on November 14, exhibits the lifetime’s work of Piera McArthur, one of New Zealand’s most energetic and luminous artists.

A painter who was once “ticked off by the nuns for always doodling in my maths book,” her habit of drawing started from the age of five when she began sketching, once depicting the surgical patients in her father's waiting room discussing their symptoms. “ I am essentially a painter of people” she says, “and the sight of human activity is enough to start explosions of imagination. For me, painting is about taking in something, and getting it out in your own terminology of paint and colour.”

Born in England in 1929 to an eminent New Zealand family Piera McArthur has lived in New Zealand since their return here in 1938, though she spent many years in various world capitals with her diplomat husband. “The vision of a true painter comes from whatever happens to be the surrounding theme”, she says. First critical professional development came in Chile in the 1970s; life in Paris in the 1960s and '80s provided opportunities to study 19th and 20th century painting, and brought her the companionable friendship and encouragement of expatriate New Zealand artist Douglas MacDiarmid. Her first exhibitions were held in Paris. She was also the first New Zealand artist to hold a solo exhibition in Russia in 1990.

Exhibition co-curator Keith Ovenden says her contemporary vibrant, kinetic compositions capture and comment on the age of performance in which we live, at once colourful and dynamic, a deep commentary on the shallow surfaces of the modern world. Her paintings have a powerful, almost seductive appeal. “McArthur's work combines the richness of her personal experience with intellectual rigour, a strong, artistic vision, and the courage to work outside theory,” he says.

Now in her mid-80s, she still draws and paints every day. The‘endless possibilities’ in this retrospective exhibition include musicians, orthodox monks, grandees of various kinds, socialites, painters, family, friends and muses - performances of every sort. It is supported by sketch pads, notes, and drawings, and its varied subject categories reflect the good fortune and opportunities in a lifetime of work valued for its resourceful use of line, and explosion of colour and energy.

THE ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES OF PORTRAITURE – A retrospective exhibition of the portrait art of Piera McArthur NZ PORTRAIT GALLERY 14 November-9 February 2014. Shed 11 Wellington Waterfront daily 10.30 – 4.30 admission free

ENDS

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