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• Auction House:
  Webb's
• Sale Name:
  Vision Series
• Sale Date:
  24 Nov 2015 ~ 6.30pm (NZ time)
• Lot #:
  42
• Lot Description:
  Charles Blomfield
  White Terraces
  oil on canvas
  420mm x 590mm
  signed and dated 1913
• Provenance:
  Passed by descent from the artist to the present owner
• Notes:
  Charles Blomfield’s White Terraces depicts an environment now lost to the modern world. This is one of several important works from the artist’s career which helped influence perceptions of the landscape of colonial New Zealand. The vast silica slopes of Rotomahana were a popular tourist attraction. Until their recent rediscovery submerged beneath the waters of Lake Rotomahana, they were thought to have been destroyed in the volcanic eruption of Tarawera in 1886. Blomfield’s depiction of the terraces captures the contradictions inherent in portrayals of regional landscapes from the 19th century. The landscape seems inhospitable and dangerous due to the frequent volcanic and geyser activity, and yet the space, blue sky and overall majestic impression left by the scene is also suggestive of a paradise awaiting those colonial settlers brave enough to travel to the opposite side of the world. The drama of this landscape, to which Blomfield returned repeatedly over the course of his career, is evident in White Terraces. The landscape has been portrayed as a tourist-free idyll and the painting conveys a nostalgia which only increased once it was discovered that the terraces were no longer in existence. For the modern-day viewer, Blomfield’s depiction of the white terraces also provokes reflection on contemporary concerns over conservation and maintenance of the surrounding natural environment. Images of dramatic landscapes are primary material used in contemporary marketing campaigns which promote New Zealand as a place where settlers from overseas can make their homes, or tourists can come for temporary visits. Blomfield’s White Terraces addresses the multiple narratives and mythologies inherent in defining and representing the landscape of New Zealand. ALEKSANDRA PETROVIC
• Estimate:
  NZ$10,000 - 15,000
• Realised Price:
  *****
  

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• Category:
  Art

This Sale has been held and this item is no longer available. Details are provided for information purposes only.