On the long road of Colin McCahon’s career there are several sharp turns signifying a break with the past and a change of direction, often initiated by physical relocation. One such corner occurred in mid-1953 when he left Christchurch after four years living there and moved to Auckland to take up a job at Auckland City Art Gallery while living above French Bay in the bush suburb of Titirangi. The McCahon family left the South Island in June 1953 half way through the year; Colin didn’t resume painting until November 1953 when his style completely changed under the direct influence of the Titirangi/French Bay landscape.

There are relatively few paintings dated from the early part of 1953, the most coherent group being associated with the large painting he was commissioned to commemorate the International Air Race (London to Christchurch) of that year. In addition to the large painting (called International Air Race and since destroyed) he painted a set of about half a dozen preliminary works several of which carry the title Sketch for TEAL. Also in the early months of 1953 McCahon was involved in designing sets for a production of Henrik Ibsen’s Peer Gynt, for which he completed numerous preliminary drawings.

What works apart from these theatre-and-aviation- connected pieces did McCahon make in his last months in the South Island? Very few indeed can be firmly ascribed to 1953 apart from the present small gouache on paper.

There are a number of undated studies of the Port Hills, given the date 1951-53 on the data base, in crayon and pencil, and there is also evidence in his correspondence that he occasionally travelled to Lyttelton by train for excursions with his family. Presumably the present work was painted on one of these. Perhaps the ‘M.R.’ inscribed on the work was the owner of the cottage depicted in the painting?

It is relatively unusual for McCahon to depict domestic buildings. Occasionally houses appear in his paintings and drawings of Mapua and Panagatotara in the early 1940s and again in the Titirangi period there are several works entitled Houses in the Trees or some such, but there is seldom the sharp focus on a building or group of buildings as in this example. Similarly, gouache – a water-based pigment but more opaque than watercolour – is not unknown in the 1940s and 1950s but is used sparingly often in combination with other media (charcoal, watercolour).

Taking all these points into account this small, strongly painted work with its rich combination of blues, greens, browns, yellows and grays depicting foreground vegetation, mid-ground trees and buildings to left and right and background hills and sky is an interesting discovery and adds an important detail to an otherwise relatively sparse patch of McCahon’s rich career.

PETER SIMPSON

An Estate Collection, Auckland