New Zealand art consists of the

visual The visual system comprises the sensory organ (the eye) and parts of the central nervous system (the retina containing photoreceptor cells, the optic nerve, the optic tract and the visual cortex) which gives organisms the sense of sight (th ...

and plastic arts (including woodwork, textiles, and ceramics) originating from

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 ...

and comes from different traditions: indigenous

Māori art Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

, that of the early European (or

Pākehā Pākehā (or Pakeha; ; ) is a Māori term for New Zealanders primarily of European descent. Pākehā is not a legal concept and has no definition under New Zealand law. The term can apply to fair-skinned persons, or to any non- Māori New Z ...

) settlers, and later migrants from Pacific, Asian, and European countries.

Prehistoric art

Charcoal drawings can be found on limestone rock shelters in the centre of the South Island, with over 500 sites in the South Island stretching from Kaikoura to

North Otago North Otago in New Zealand covers the area of Otago between Shag Point and the Waitaki River, and extends inland to the west as far as the village of Omarama (which has experienced rapid growth as a developing centre for astronomy and for glid ...

including at the Takiroa Rock Art Shelter. The drawings are estimated to be between 500 and 800 years old, and portray

animal Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the Kingdom (biology), biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals Heterotroph, consume organic material, Cellular respiration#Aerobic respiration, breathe oxygen, are Motilit ...

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, cultu ...

s and legendary creatures, possibly stylised reptiles. Some of the birds pictured are extinct, including

moa Moa are extinct giant flightless birds native to New Zealand. The term has also come to be used for chicken in many Polynesian cultures and is found in the names of many chicken recipes, such as Kale moa and Moa Samoa. Moa or MOA may also refe ...

and

Haast's eagle Haast's eagle (''Hieraaetus moorei'') is an extinct species of eagle that once lived in the South Island of New Zealand, commonly accepted to be the pouakai of Māori legend. The ink they were drawn with was recorded in the 1920s and included resin and gum from tree's including tarata, and either shark liver oil or

weka The weka, also known as the Māori hen or woodhen (''Gallirallus australis'') is a flightless bird species of the rail family. It is endemic to New Zealand. It is the only extant member of the genus '' Gallirallus''. Four subspecies are recogni ...

fat. There are preservation and restoration efforts being made including at 14 limestone caves and overhangs at Ōpihi in

South Canterbury South Canterbury is the area of the Canterbury Region of the South Island of New Zealand bounded by the Rangitata River in the north and the Waitaki River (the border with the Otago Region) to the south. The Pacific Ocean and ridge of the Southe ...

. Rock art is also found in the North Island with 140 rock art sites listed with the

New Zealand Archaeological Association 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, ...

. Perry Fletchern, historical research consultant expects there believes there are more sites un-discovered on farm land. In general the difference between rock art is that in the North Island there are more carvings and abstract motifs the South Island has more drawings and more figurative forms.

Traditional Māori art

Māori visual art consists primarily of four forms: carving ''(

whakairo Toi whakairo (art carving) or just whakairo (carving) is a Māori traditional art of carving in wood, stone or bone. History Timber was formed into houses, fencepoles, pouwhenua, containers, taiaha, tool handles and waka (boats). Carving to ...

)'', tattooing (''

tā moko ' is the permanent marking or " tattoo" as traditionally practised by Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. It is one of the five main Polynesian tattoo styles (the other four are Marquesan, Samoan, Tahitian and Hawaiian). (tattooi ...

''), weaving ( raranga), and painting (''kōwhaiwhai''). It was rare for any of these to be purely decorative; traditional Māori art was highly spiritual and as an oral society conveyed knowledge or ''mātauranga'' including spiritual matters and ancestry. An example is invoking a god or ''

atua Atua are the gods and spirits of the Polynesian peoples such as the Māori or the Hawaiians (see also ); the Polynesian word literally means "power" or "strength" and so the concept is similar to that of '' mana''. Today, it is also used for ...

'' by using a specific design on an object can make the item more effective due to the Māori world-view of natural and spiritual worlds being closely connected. Māori art is connected to the art of

Moana Oceania Moana (which means Ocean in some Polynesian languages) may refer to: Entertainment * "Moana", a song by Deftones from the 2003 album ''Deftones'' * ''Moana'' (1926 film), a documentary * ''Moana'' (2016 film), a Disney animated film about a Pol ...

Indigenous groups, the peoples of the wider

Pacific The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contine ...

region. Common across Moana Oceania were ''whare wānanga,'' creative hubs of knowledge systems for training specialists (''tohunga)'' including arts specialists. Artistic skills were valued by Māori and leaders were expected to exhibit skills in the arts. The creation of art was governed by the rules of tapu. Styles varied from region to region: the style now sometimes seen as 'typical' in fact originates from

Te Arawa Te Arawa is a confederation of Māori iwi and hapu (tribes and sub-tribes) of New Zealand who trace their ancestry to the Arawa migration canoe (''waka'').chevron Chevron (often relating to V-shaped patterns) may refer to: Science and technology * Chevron (aerospace), sawtooth patterns on some jet engines * Chevron (anatomy), a bone * '' Eulithis testata'', a moth * Chevron (geology), a fold in rock ...

and the

koru The ''koru'' () is a spiral shape based on the appearance of a new unfurling silver fern frond. It is an integral symbol in Māori art, carving and tattooing, where it symbolises new life, growth, strength and peace. Its shape "conveys the id ...

Carving

Carving was done in three media: wood, bone, and stone. As an oral peoples, for Māori carving recorded geology, documented events and preserved traditions and stories. Examples of carved items include buildings, weapons including ''taiaha'', musical instruments ( ''taonga pūoro''), special containers ( ''waka huia''), boats (waka) and ceremonial staffs used by orators ( ''tokotoko'').

Pounamu Pounamu is a term for several types of hard and durable stone found in southern New Zealand. They are highly valued in New Zealand, and carvings made from pounamu play an important role in Māori culture. Name The Māori word , also used ...

(greenstone), a form of jade was carved and treasured and other kinds of stone were also used, especially in the North Island. Both stone and bone were used to create jewellery such as the

hei-tiki The hei-tiki () is an ornamental pendant of the Māori of New Zealand. Hei-tiki are usually made of pounamu ( greenstone), and are considered a taonga (treasure) by Māori. They are commonly called ''tiki'' by New Zealanders, a term that origi ...

. Large scale stone face carvings were also sometimes created. The introduction of metal tools by Europeans changed some carving styles. There are many well-known carvers who were men but women also carved. In the early 21st century, Pania Waaka is believed to be the first woman to earn a qualification in Māori carving.

Tā moko

Tā moko is the art of traditional Māori

tattooing A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing p ...

, done with a chisel. Men were tattooed on many parts of their bodies, including faces, buttocks and thighs. Women were usually tattooed only on the lips and chin. Moko conveyed a person's ancestry. The art declined in the 19th century following the introduction of Christianity, but in recent decades has undergone a revival. Although modern moko are in traditional styles, most are carried out using modern equipment. Body parts such as the arms, legs and back are popular locations for modern moko, although some are still on the face.

Weaving

Weaving was used to create numerous things, including wall panels in meeting houses and other important buildings, as well as clothing and bags (kete). While many of these were purely functional, others were true works of art taking hundreds of hours to complete, and often given as gifts to important people. Cloaks in particular could be decorated with feathers and were the mark of an important person. In pre-European times the main medium for weaving was flax, but following the arrival of Europeans cotton, wool and other textiles were also used, especially in clothing. The extinction and endangerment of many New Zealand birds has made the feather cloak a more difficult item to produce. Weaving was primarily done by women.

Painting

Although the oldest forms of Māori art are rock paintings, in 'classical' Māori art, painting was not an important art form. It was mainly used as a minor decoration in meeting houses, in stylised forms such as the

. Europeans introduced Māori to their more figurative style of art, and in the 19th century less stylised depictions of people and plants began to appear on the walls of meeting houses in place of traditional carvings and woven panels. The introduction of European paints also allowed traditional painting to flourish, as brighter and more distinct colours could be produced.

Explorer art

Europeans began producing art in New Zealand as soon as they arrived, with many exploration ships including an artist to record newly discovered places, people, flora and fauna. The first European work of art made in New Zealand was a drawing by Isaac Gilsemans, the artist on

Abel Tasman Abel Janszoon Tasman (; 160310 October 1659) was a Dutch seafarer, explorer, and merchant, best known for his voyages of 1642 and 1644 in the service of the Dutch East India Company (VOC). He was the first known European explorer to reach New ...

's expedition of 1642. MaoriChief1784

Sir Joseph Banks Sir Joseph Banks, 1st Baronet, (19 June 1820) was an English naturalist, botanist, and patron of the natural sciences. Banks made his name on the 1766 natural-history expedition to Newfoundland and Labrador. He took part in Captain James C ...

and

Sydney Parkinson Sydney Parkinson (c. 1745 – 26 January 1771) was a Scottish botanical illustrator and natural history artist. He was the first European artist to visit Australia, New Zealand and Tahiti. Parkinson was the first Quaker to visit New Zealand. ...

of Captain James Cook's ship Endeavour produced the first realistic depictions of Māori people, New Zealand landscapes, and indigenous flora and fauna in 1769.

William Hodges William Hodges RA (28 October 1744 – 6 March 1797) was an English painter. He was a member of James Cook's second voyage to the Pacific Ocean and is best known for the sketches and paintings of locations he visited on that voyage, incl ...

was the artist on HMS Resolution in 1773, and

John Webber John Webber (6 October 1751 – 29 May 1793) was an English artist who accompanied Captain Cook on his third Pacific expedition. He is best known for his images of Australasia, Hawaii and Alaska. Biography Webber was born in London, educated ...

on HMS Resolution in 1777. Their works captured the imagination of Europeans and were an influence in the 19th century movement of art towards naturalism. Cook's artists' paintings and descriptions of

moko In the mythology of Mangaia in the Cook Islands, Moko is a wily character and grandfather of the heroic Ngaru. Moko is a ruler or king of the lizard Lizards are a widespread group of squamate reptiles, with over 7,000 species, ranging acro ...

sparked an interest in the subject in Europe, and led to the

tattoo A tattoo is a form of body modification made by inserting tattoo ink, dyes, and/or pigments, either indelible or temporary, into the dermis layer of the skin to form a design. Tattoo artists create these designs using several tattooing ...

becoming a tradition of the British Navy.

19th century Pākehā art

Early 19th-century artists were for the most part visitors to New Zealand, not residents. Some, such as James Barry, who painted the Ngare Raumati chief Rua in 1818, and

Thomas Kendall Thomas Kendall (13 December 1778 – 6 August 1832) was a New Zealand missionary, recorder of the Māori language, schoolmaster, arms dealer, and Pākehā Māori. Early life: Lincolnshire and London, 1778–1813 A younger son of farmer Ed ...

with the chiefs

Hongi Hika Hongi Hika ( – 6 March 1828) was a New Zealand Māori rangatira (chief) and war leader of the iwi of Ngāpuhi. He was a pivotal figure in the early years of regular European contact and settlement in New Zealand. As one of the first Māor ...

and

Waikato Waikato () is a local government region of the upper North Island of New Zealand. It covers the Waikato District, Waipa District, Matamata-Piako District, South Waikato District and Hamilton City, as well as Hauraki, Coromandel Peninsul ...

in 1820, did not visit New Zealand at all, instead painting his subjects when they visited Britain.

Landscape art Landscape painting, also known as landscape art, is the depiction of natural scenery such as mountains, valleys, trees, rivers, and forests, especially where the main subject is a wide view—with its elements arranged into a coherent composi ...

was popular with early colonisers, and prints were widely used to promote settlement in New Zealand. Notable landscape artists included

Augustus Earle Augustus Earle (1793–1838) was a British painter. Unlike earlier artists who worked outside Europe and were employed on voyages of exploration or worked abroad for wealthy, often aristocratic patrons, Earle was able to operate quite indepen ...

, who visited New Zealand in 1827-28, and William Fox, who later became Premier. The first oil portraits of Māori Chiefs with full

Tā moko ' is the permanent marking or " tattoo" as traditionally practised by Māori, the indigenous people of New Zealand. It is one of the five main Polynesian tattoo styles (the other four are Marquesan, Samoan, Tahitian and Hawaiian). (tattooi ...

in New Zealand were painted by the portrait artist

William Beetham William Beetham (25 July 1809 – 3 August 1888) was an English-born portrait painter, who painted mainly in the United Kingdom and New Zealand. He exhibited his paintings at the Royal Academy of Arts in London (1834–53) and painted in Hamburg, ...

. As colonisation developed a small but derivative art scene began based mostly on landscapes. However the most successful artists of this period, Charles Goldie and

Gottfried Lindauer Gottfried Lindauer (5 January 1839 – 13 June 1926) was a Bohemian and New Zealand artist famous for his portraits, including many of Māori people. Czech life and Austrian school He was born Bohumír Lindauer in Plzeň (Pilsen), Western ...

were noted primarily for their portraits of Māori. Most notable

artists of their period worked in two dimensions; although there was some sculpture this was of limited notability. Photography in New Zealand also began at this time and, like painting, initially concentrated mostly on landscape and Māori subjects.

20th century

Creation of a distinct New Zealand art

Beginning in the 1930s, many

(New Zealanders not of Māori origin, usually of European ancestry) attempted to create a distinctive New Zealand style of art. Many, such as

Rita Angus Rita Angus (12 March 1908 – 25 January 1970), a New Zealand painter, has a reputation - along with Colin McCahon and Toss Woollaston - as one of the leading figures in twentieth-century New Zealand art. She worked primarily in oil and water ...

, continued to work on landscapes, with attempts made to depict New Zealand's harsh light. Others appropriate Māori artistic styles; for example

Gordon Walters Gordon Frederick Walters (24 September 1919 – 5 November 1995) was a Wellington-born artist and graphic designer who is significant to New Zealand culture due to his representation of New Zealand in his Modern Abstract artworks. Education ...

created many paintings and prints based on the koru. New Zealand's most highly regarded 20th-century artist was

Colin McCahon Colin John McCahon (; 1August 191927May 1987) was a prominent New Zealand artist whose work over 45 years consisted of various styles, including landscape, figuration, abstraction, and the overlay of painted text. Along with Toss Woollaston an ...

, who attempted to use international styles such as cubism in New Zealand contexts. His paintings depicted such things as the

Angel Gabriel In Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity and Islam), Gabriel (); Greek: grc, Γαβριήλ, translit=Gabriḗl, label=none; Latin: ''Gabriel''; Coptic: cop, Ⲅⲁⲃⲣⲓⲏⲗ, translit=Gabriêl, label=none; Amharic: am, ገብር� ...

in the New Zealand countryside. Later works such as the Urewera triptych engaged with the contemporary

Māori protest movement The Māori protest movement is a broad indigenous-rights movement in New Zealand (). While there were a range of conflicts between Māori and European immigrants prior to the signing of the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, the signing provided a l ...

Māori cultural renaissance

From the early 20th century, politician

Āpirana Ngata Sir Āpirana Turupa Ngata (3 July 1874 – 14 July 1950) was a prominent New Zealand statesman. He has often been described as the foremost Māori politician to have served in Parliament in the mid-20th century, and is also known for his work ...

fostered a renewal of traditional Māori art forms, for example establishing a school of Māori arts in Rotorua, the

New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute The New Zealand Māori Arts and Crafts Institute (NZMACI) is an indigenous traditional art school located in Rotorua New Zealand. It operates the national schools of three major Māori art forms. NZMACI opened in 1963 as a successor school to ...

Late 20th and early 21st centuries

The visual arts flourished in the later decades of the 20th century. Many Māori artists became highly successful blending elements of Māori culture with European modernism.

Ralph Hotere Hone Papita Raukura "Ralph" Hotere (11 August 1931 – 24 February 2013) was a New Zealand artist. He was born in Mitimiti, Northland and is widely regarded as one of New Zealand's most important artists. In 1994 he was awarded an honorary d ...

was New Zealand's highest selling living artist, but other such as

Shane Cotton Shane William Cotton (born 3 October 1964) is a New Zealand painter whose work explores biculturalism, colonialism, cultural identity, Māori spirituality, and life and death. Life Cotton was born in Upper Hutt with Ngāpuhi iwi affiliations ...

and

Michael Parekowhai Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...

are also very successful. Many contemporary Māori artists reference ancient myths and cultural practices in their work such as Derek Lardelli,

Lisa Reihana Lisa Marie Reihana (born 1964) is a New Zealand artist. Her video work, ''In Pursuit of Venus nfected' (2015), which examines early encounters between Polynesians and European explorers, was featured at the 2017 Venice Biennale. Early life ...

, Sofia Minson,

Te Rongo Kirkwood Te Rongo Kirkwood (born 1973) is an artist from Auckland, New Zealand. She is known for her glass art, particularly in fused glass, fused and slumped glass.Linda George (2009)Te Rongo Kirkwood Toi Maori Aotearoa – Maori Arts New Zealand. Arch ...

, Robyn Kahukiwa, Aaron Kereopa,

Rangi Kipa Rangi Kipa (born 1966) is a New Zealand sculptor, carver, illustrator and tā moko (traditional Māori tattoo) artist. Education Kipa is a graduate of the Maraeroa Carving School in Porirua (1986), and completed a Bachelor of Social Sciences at ...

, John Miller, Kura Te Waru Rewiri,

Tracey Tawhiao Tracey Tawhiao (born 1967) is a New Zealand Maori artist. Her ancestry can be traced to Ngai te Rangi, Whakatohea, Tuwharetoa. Life Tracey Tawhiao is a prolific artist with a wide range of creative expression including poetry, painting, perfo ...

, Roi Toia,

Shane Hansen Shane may refer to: People * Shane (actress) (born 1969), American pornographic actress * Shane (New Zealand singer) (born 1946) * iamnotshane (born 1995), formerly known as Shane, American singer * Shane (name), a masculine given name and a su ...

, John Bevan Ford, Jennifer Rendall, Todd Couper, Manos Nathan,

Wayne Youle Wayne Youle (born 1974 in Titahi Bay, Porirua) is a New Zealand artist of Ngapuhi, Ngati Whakaeke and Ngati Pakeha descent. His bicultural heritage is reflected in his work, addressing issues of identity, race and the commodification of cultu ...

, Lyonel Grant, Wi Taepa and David Teata. The 1960s and 1970s saw New Zealand develop a craft movement that was in opposition to pop art and mass consumerism and followed on from the arts and craft movements critique of the mainstream. This artwork includes ceramics, textiles, jewelry and glass work over a wide range of themes and influences. These include Māori and Pasifika artists who's work brought an integrated worldview of fine arts, craft and design not separated with a

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

hierarchy that came out of the

European Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

in the fifteenth century. Craft-based New Zealand artists include Ruth Baird, Merilyn Wiseman, Wi Taepa,

Kobi Bosshard Kobi Bosshard (born 1939 in Uster, Switzerland) is a Swiss-born New Zealand jeweller. Bosshard was one of a number of European-trained jewellers who came to New Zealand in the 1960s and transformed contemporary jewellery in the country; others ...

, Barry Brickell, Freda Brierley,

Paerau Corneal Paerau Corneal (born 1961) is a New Zealand ceramicist of Tūwharetoa and Te Āti Haunui-a-Paparangi descent. Education Corneal holds a certificate in craft design (1988) and a diploma in craft design Māori (1991) from Waiariki Institute of ...

, Ann Culy, Matarena George, and Susan Holmes, Humphrey Ikin, Rangi Kiu, Maureen Lander, Linley Main, Mike McGregor, John Parker, Baye Riddell, Emily Siddell and Diggeress Te Kanawa.

Art organisations and museums

The Crafts Council of New Zealand was established in 1965 and ceased in 1992. The Maori Artists and Writers Society influenced the set-up of the Council for Māori and South Pacific Arts (MASPAC) in 1978 (later replaced by Te Waka Toi in the 1990s), and from this came the Mana Whakairo Carvers Committee and the Aotearoa-Moananui-a-Kiwa Weavers Committee. These came out

Creative New Zealand The Arts Council of New Zealand Toi Aotearoa (Creative New Zealand) is the national arts development agency of the New Zealand government, investing in artists and arts organisations, offering capability building programmes and developing markets ...

the national agency for the development of the arts in New Zealand that was the Queen Elizabeth II Arts Council then.

The

National Art Gallery of New Zealand National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

was established in 1936, and was amalgamated into the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in 1992. The Auckland Art Gallery is New Zealand's largest art institution with a collection numbering over 15,000 works, including major holdings of New Zealand historic, modern and contemporary art, and outstanding works by Māori and Pacific Island artists. Waikato Museum, Te Whare Taonga O Waikato located on the banks of the

Waikato River The Waikato River is the longest river in New Zealand, running for through the North Island. It rises on the eastern slopes of Mount Ruapehu, joining the Tongariro River system and flowing through Lake Taupō, New Zealand's largest lake. It th ...

in downtown

Hamilton Hamilton may refer to: People * Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname ** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland ** Lord Hamilt ...

Art schools

New Zealand has three university-based fine art schools:

Ilam School of Fine Arts 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 Ila ...

at the University of Canterbury (formerly Canterbury College School of Art) was founded in 1882,

Elam School of Fine Arts The Elam School of Fine Arts, founded by John Edward Elam, is part of the Faculty of Creative Arts and Industries at the University of Auckland. Students study degrees in fine art with an emphasis on a multidisciplinary approach. The schoo ...

at 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 ...

was founded in 1890 and Massey School of Fine Arts founded in 1885, but was not officially a university institution until 2000. There are also several other tertiary level fine arts schools not affiliated to universities.

Notes

References

* *

External links

Art and photography
at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
History of New Zealand painting
NZHistory.net.nz {{DEFAULTSORT:Art Of New Zealand