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Lot #52 - Peter Siddell

  • Auction House:
    Mossgreen-Webb's
  • Sale Name:
    Important Paintings & Contemporary Art
  • Sale Date:
    29 Nov 2017 ~ 6.30pm (New Zealand Daylight Time)
  • Lot #:
    52
  • Lot Description:
    Peter Siddell
    Opening
    oil on canvas, 1988
    1220mm x 1700mm
    signed PETER SIDDELL and dated 1988 in brushpoint lower right
  • Provenance:
    Formerly in the Dame Kiri Te Kanawa Collection.
  • Notes:
    ESSAY: No painter knew suburban Mt Eden better that did Peter Siddell, who lived there for many years and painted numerous works inspired by the area. Opening is a classic masterpiece of the 1980s; I recall the artist, during his last years, describing this period as arguably his finest. There is a maturity here as well as a breadth and confidence in his subject matter – a view from the slopes of Mt Eden itself down to the village, along Mt Eden Road and into the distance where the Manukau Harbour creates an opening in the landscape, lit by a patch of sunlight. It is a panorama – an extensive view from above the suburban houses, enhanced by the effects of light and shadow created by the passing clouds. The village and its shops are lit brilliantly while extensive tracts of housing are in shadow. Above them, the monumental forms of the threatening clouds add drama and a sense of space to the composition, as one finds in the Dutch landscapists of the Golden Age of the 17th century, among them Hobbema and Ruisdael. Siddell knew their works well and measured himself against the benchmarks they had set. Typically with Siddell, there are no cars on the streets, no power poles and no people. We survey the streets and landforms in an eerie, almost surreal silence: alone and undisturbed by the realities of modern life. The work demands contemplation to reveal its many secrets and beauties. We can see it first in its totality then we scrutinise each house, one by one, noting each is different: each individual and with its own history. Siddell is not a dry topographer but rather an almost romantic interpreter of what he sees, knows and loves. There is nostalgia here, too, and a sense of the passing of time and the role played by memory not just in recording the present but also in evoking the past history of these silent streets and houses. Michael Dunn
  • Estimate:
    NZ$190,000 - 250,000
  • 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.



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