John Weeks (8 June 1886 – 10 September 1965) was a New Zealand artist who was one of the most influential staff members at the
Elam Art School of the
University of Auckland
, mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work
, established = 1883; years ago
, endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021)
, budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021)
, chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant
, vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...
, where he taught from 1930 to 1954.
Born in
Sydenham Damerel,
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...
, England, on 8 June 1886, Weeks came to
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
as a child with his parents in 1892. He commenced
part-time
Part-time can refer to:
* Part-time job, a job that has fewer hours a week than a full-time job
* Part-time student, a student, usually in higher education, who takes fewer course credits than a full-time student
* Part Time
Part Time (styliz ...
study at the
Elam School of Fine Art in 1908, with further training at
Sydney Technical College just prior to
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. During the war he served in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
with the
New Zealand Medical Corps
New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created.
New or NEW may refer to:
Music
* New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz
Albums and EPs
* ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013
* ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator ...
and some small watercolours from this time are held by the
Auckland Museum. He broke his arms and one leg. He continued his studies after the war at the
Canterbury College School of Art
The Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury was founded in 1882 as the Canterbury College School of Art. The school became a full department of the university in the 1950s, and was the first department to move to the suburban Ilam ...
.
From 1923 to 1930 he travelled extensively in Europe, studying intermittently in
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...
and at
André Lhote's academy, where he was influenced by the
cubist
Cubism is an early-20th-century avant-garde art movement that revolutionized European painting and sculpture, and inspired related movements in music, literature and architecture. In Cubist artwork, objects are analyzed, broken up and reassemble ...
movement.
![Watercolour sketch by John Weeks, circa 1950](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/40/Watercolour_sketch_by_John_Weeks%2C_circa_1950.jpg)
In 1930 Weeks joined the staff at Elam where he was an influential and popular lecturer, representing a more 'modernist' approach than his contemporaries, until his retirement in 1954. In January 1949 much of Weeks' best work was destroyed in a fire at Elam, while he had over 300 of his paintings assembled for selection for a forthcoming exhibition.
In 1953, Weeks was awarded the
Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal. In 1955, he was the subject of the first solo show at the Auckland City Art Gallery (now the
Auckland Art Gallery dedicated to a New Zealand artist. In the
1958 Queen's Birthday Honours, Weeks was appointed an
Officer of the Order of the British Empire, for services as an artist.
After Weeks' death on 10 September 1965, around 150 of his works were selected by friends and colleagues for purchase by the
Queen Elizabeth II National Trust
The Queen Elizabeth II National Trust (QEII) is a registered charity and statutory New Zealand organisation independent from the government and managed by a Board of Directors. It was established in 1977 by the Queen Elizabeth the Second Nation ...
and sent to several major New Zealand galleries.
References
External links
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki: Works by John WeeksWorks in the collection of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
1886 births
1965 deaths
Elam Art School alumni
New Zealand Officers of the Order of the British Empire
People from the Borough of West Devon
University of Auckland faculty
University of Technology Sydney alumni
English emigrants to New Zealand
20th-century New Zealand painters
20th-century New Zealand male artists
People associated with the Rutland Group
University of Auckland alumni
{{NewZealand-painter-stub