"Grey Cloak (for Edward)"
Philippa Blair, Artist
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About the Work
“I
love
the
classic
kākahu
shape
in
this
painting.
The
cloak
is
a
symbol
of
protection,
and
while
this
one
is
very
contemporary,
it
still
has
the
form
of
a
traditional
one.”
–
'My
Choice:
Margot
Bennetts'
June
2022
This work was dedicated to a friend of the artist and the title makes reference to their discussions which focused on the paintings of J.M.W. Turner and the importance of grey in a painting. The wrapping of the unstretched canvas into the form of a cloak is a recognised symbol of status and mana, representative of many indigenous cultures, including Māori, and implies the imagined presence of a body. This work is one of a series of cloak paintings completed in the early 1980s and exhibited in New York in 1985 at Shippee Gallery, around the same time as the Te Māori exhibition was on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Jennifer Taylor Moore, Curator of Collections, for exhibition 'Beyond the Frame', 2018
This work was dedicated to a friend of the artist and the title makes reference to their discussions which focused on the paintings of J.M.W. Turner and the importance of grey in a painting. The wrapping of the unstretched canvas into the form of a cloak is a recognised symbol of status and mana, representative of many indigenous cultures, including Māori, and implies the imagined presence of a body. This work is one of a series of cloak paintings completed in the early 1980s and exhibited in New York in 1985 at Shippee Gallery, around the same time as the Te Māori exhibition was on display at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Jennifer Taylor Moore, Curator of Collections, for exhibition 'Beyond the Frame', 2018
Measurements
Installed 1630 x 1810mm
Media
acrylic on unstretched canvas
Description
Painted canvas construction with top two corners folded inwards and tied at centre top to form the shape of a cloak. Painted in black, red, yellow and white.
Credit Line
Collection of the Sarjeant Gallery Te Whare o Rehua Whanganui. Gift of Jenny Gibbs, 1998
Collection Type
Permanent collection
Acquisition Date
1998
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Accession Number:
1998/9/1