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Welcome to Discover
Discover is a set of free resources selected for use by New Zealand schools. Over 2,000 multimedia items are available and almost all are from National Library of New Zealand collections.
Currently Discover supports the Visual Arts and Music disciplines of the Arts/Nga Toi curriculum by providing a rich selection of works by some of New Zealand's musicians, artists, photographers, designers and architects both historic and contemporary, Maori and Pakeha.
Discover exists within the National Library's Find Service. To limit your search to just Discover material, select 'Discover' from the sources dropdown selection, as shown in the search box above.
Browse Topics
Music
In this section you can view five topics featuring works by New Zealand musicians, artists and photographers. Items under each topic include an essay, a list of further resources and a selection of some of the following: photographs, music sheet covers, music and video clips. These topics have been designed to support the Arts/Ngā Toi curriculum in New Zealand schools.
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New Zealand Composers and Collaboration
Many New Zealand composers have worked collaboratively with artists and people in other arts related areas. These areas and artists include poetry and poets, film and filmmakers, dance and dancers, choreographers, and bicultural or multicultural collaborations. Every collaboration is unique, but as we will see from the nine composers selected under this topic, collaboration is a wonderful and challenging experience in the life of a composer
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Buchanan, Dorothy Quita 1945-
Each experience of collaboration is unique. Sometimes it is a very equal experience, whereby the person I am collaborating with will contribute opinions, ideas, plans and performance outcomes equal to my input.
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Fisher, Helen Wynfreda 1942-
"A quiet, solitary space is what I need most when I am actually composing. Nevertheless, I do value the collaboration experiences that inform many of my compositions. "Te Tangi A Te Matui" (1986) my first major composition, is one example. For this solo flute and voice piece, several people made important contributions: first, I consulted Teariki Mei, my te reo Maori teacher, about including in an appropriate way the traditional Maori karakia; the flute player, Joanne Averill, and I explored a range of flute techniques; Tiahuia Gray assisted Joanne's pronunciation of Maori language; and finally, the Ngati Poneke whanau approved my composition when Joanne played the piece at Pipitea Marae."
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Harris, Ross Talbot 1945-
"Bringing together creative minds from different disciplines is exciting and challenging. It is especially so when the collaborations involve artists with different cultural roots. Witi Ihimaera and I worked together on two operas - Waituhi and Tanz der Schwane (The Dance of the Swans). The libretto of Waituhi was developed from Witi's book Whanau and is the story of Witi's own village and family. Tanz is about an Austrian nurse arriving to live in small town New Zealand shortly after WWII."
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Whitehead, Gillian 1941-
"We know what collaboration is - the pooling of ideas and talents of creative people from different disciplines to produce work which could not be envisaged or carried out by one person alone. Collaboration is partnership, whether it's in the setting of a pre-existing poem, or the writing and staging of an opera. It will only work if there is an overall vision to which everyone can relate, if there is equality of input and mutual respect."
"For me, what is really exciting is the process, which at its best involves total trust between participants. It gives insights into the creative world and an understanding of the craft of other people, and can be the basis of enduring friendships."
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Yates, Charlotte
"I am the artistic director of a collaborative project called Baxter, where I invited 12 New Zealand composers - all recording artists with one or more CDs in their own right - to pick a poem by James K Baxter and set it to their music. In essence, the composers were in collaboration with the dead poet. The project had the blessing, care and permission of his estate. Once written, the tracks were recorded as a CD, performed in concerts during the NZ Festival 2000, one track was turned into a music video, and other performances are being planned."
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McLeod, Jennifer Helen 1941-
"In a sense every piece you write is a collaboration. If it is a commission, you are given a brief to fulfil - a certain kind of piece is required for certain specific performers; you collaborate by building your piece according to those specifications. If instrumental and/or vocal or choral, for the piece to be successful you must collaborate first with the propensities and possibilities/impossibilities of the instruments themselves (voice[s] included), and eventually also with the conductor and/or performers; if electronic, with the machines; if for film, with the time code, the images, shot lengths, and situations, etc, to say nothing of the director and producer."
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History of Recording
Imagine, the first sound recording ever made wasn't a song but the nursery rhyme Mary had a little lamb! The American inventor, Thomas Edison, recorded it in 1877, on a device he named a "phonograph", meaning "sound writer". Using this device a person could speak while turning a cylinder on which a needle recorded the vibrations of the voice on tin foil. Playing back the sound was a simple case of placing the needle back at the start of the groove originally made in the tin foil and turning the cylinder.
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Music Clips
Here you will find selection of music clips relating to the history of recording in New Zealand.
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Images of Recording Technology
In this section you will find a selection of photographs that show various types of recording technology over the last 80 years, from gramophones to the process of manufacturing of records at His Masters Voice New Zealand Ltd factory, Wakefield Street, Wellington, in 1957.
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Music Score Covers and Record Sleeves
The Score Sheet music sheet covers and to a lesser extent record covers are a unique lyrical and visual "snapshot" on how we used to view ourselves. Here you can see the early fascination with things New Zealand, particularity those featuring Maori, as well as our landscape, including river, coast and town.
While these covers celebrate our growing confidence and sense of identity, some of the sheet music also reveals our deep (at the time) allegiance to Britain and the Empire. This was especially true during times of crisis, for example World War I and II where songs promoted our patriotism, and our duty to our "Motherland," Britain.
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Traditional Maori Music
As is characteristic of indigenous societies, music played an integral role in traditional Maori life and was present in virtually all aspects of human activity.
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Waiata
Although waiata is a generic term for all songs, it can mean a specific type of song when a descriptive noun is added. Waiata may also mean to sing. Waiata are associated with many types of activities and celebrations.
In this section you will find a selection of images depicting the singing of waiata.
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Haka
Haka is a posture-dance with shouted vocal chanting accompanied by hand actions, foot-stamping and facial expressions. Though many people associate haka with men and war there are many types of haka performed by women and children. Haka are used in a variety of situations to welcome visitors to Marae, meetings, weddings and on significant cultural occasions, like the America's Cup in downtown Auckland.
Haka can also be performed to honour the dead, either during a welcome or a final farewell. In that sense haka becomes a taonga to honour a person.
In this section you will find a selection of images depicting the performance of haka.
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Music Clips
In this section you will find a selection of music clips relating to Traditional Maori Music.
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Musical Instruments
Generally traditional Maori instruments fall into two categories, those that are blown (for example flutes, trumpets and whistles) and those that were struck (for example war gongs). Stringed instruments and drums were not used by Maori until the arrival of Europeans.
In this section you will find an audio clip, and a selection of images depicting a number of traditional Maori musical instruments.
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Inspirational
Ever suffered composer's block? Join the club! Here are some inspirational aids to get you into gear. Expand the possibilities in your mind through the poetry, video clips, photos, birdsong and Pacific Island drumming in this topic.
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Parihaka
In this section you will find a selection of photographs depicting Parihaka Pa in 1881. Much emotion surrounds the invasion, and sacking of the Pa in 1881 and the subsequent imprisonment of leaders Tohu Kakahi, Te Whiti o Rongomai and their followers. Notice your reaction as you view the images, this could well be a starting point for your musical interpretation.
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Video Clips
Write the music to one of these silent videos. Look at the footage and notice your response. Some will evoke emotions, others will prompt a more abstract musical response. The most likely scenario is, the one that captures you most fully is the one you'll create really good music for. For example, if you find abstract images dancing on the screen evoking rhythmic responses from you, write them! The video clips are all about 50 seconds duration and suit the needs of your syllabus in composing for media, for example film or television. The subject material of the films include penguins in Antarctica, millennial celebrations, snowboarding, rafting, and more.
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Music and Bird Song Clips
Here you will find clips of New Zealand birdsong to use as a basis for composition. Perhaps you can pick out one or two and use them as a basis for a composition - a musical motif. Many composers, New Zealand and world wide, have been inspired by birdsong. Some of them have used the bird motifs 'exactly' as a basis for their music; others have abstracted the birdsong, having been inspired by it, into music that may sound 'birdsongy' but doesn't actually quote exact birds.
Notice that some birds seem to go for repeated rhythmic motifs more than their more melodic brothers and sisters. Discover your response as a composer - have you found the rhythmic excerpts more inspiring that the more melodic ones?
If you are a drummer or percussionist it could be a great creative challenge to compose a rhythmic piece based on some of these rhythmic motifs. Or you may become so interested in birds that you become a famous ornothologist! The possibilities are limitless!
Here too is a recording of Pacific Island drumming, to use as a basis for composition. Alternatively, challenge your aural skills by trying to notate It!
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Native Bird Illustrations
In this section you will find a selection of images depicting New Zealand native birds some of which you can listen to in the 'Music and Bird Song Clips' topic. There are also some Maori poems and waiata on birdsong.
Apart from the innate beauty of these poems, notice the onomatopoeic nature of them. In other words, they often sound like the birdsongs they are describing. These poems can further inspire you with word rhythms, both Maori and English, and you may wish to make them into songs.
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Censored Clips
In this section you will find a selection of film clip images. These were removed by Chief Censor and Registrar of Films, Gordon Mirams from movies before they were screened in New Zealand in 1956.
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New Zealand Landscape
In this section you will find a selection of images depicting the New Zealand landscape. Many poets, film makers (think of Lord of the Rings!) and composers find inspiration from our unique and varied landscape. These images may inspire the composer in you, too.
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Hawke's Bay Earthquake
In this section you will find a selection of images depicting the damaged buildings and devastation caused by the Hawke's Bay earthquake.
This earthquake struck on Tuesday, February 3rd 1931 registering 7.9 on the Richter Scale. Over 250 people lost their lives and the earthquake caused widespread destruction throughout the Hawke's Bay region, particularly to the townships of Waipukurau, Waipawa, Wairoa, Hastings and especially Napier.
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World War II
In this section you will find a selection of images depicting New Zealanders at home and fighting overseas during World War Two.
These images depict some of the contrasting scenes and emotions surrounding War. They may inspire your compassion and bring forth a musical response.
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Music in the Community
Imagine a world where sound could not be produced at the push of a button, where music could be experienced only through live performance. Without TV, CDs and the internet, live music was a major force in bringing people together and maintaining their sense of identity. With so many cultures isolated from their homelands, this was especially true in New Zealand.
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Bands (Brass and Pipe)
Through many events in New Zealand's history - the Temperance movement, the union movement and particularly the World Wars - bands of many kinds were formed. They fulfilled a meaningful role in funerals, weddings, celebrations and the ceremonies relating to war and peace. In days before logos existed, bands were a kind of logo for many groups. To understand the importance of music in these situations, we need to understand the context in which it functioned. For example, to appreciate the importance of a military band, we need to transport ourselves back, when soldiers would march through the streets to mark their departure for war.
In this section you will find a selection of photographs and music clips depicting both pipe and brass bands performing on a variety of events.
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Ensembles
The word 'ensemble' comes from the French, meaning 'to gather'. Thus, an ensemble is a group that can be made up of any combination of voices and instruments from two upwards. Some examples include string quartets, piano trios and jazz groupings.
In this section you will find a selection of audio, and images depicting a range of ensembles.
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School Groups
Music groups in schools reflect the interests and availability of instruments, teachers and performers in each school community. Vocal groups are many and varied. Instrumental groups range from traditional orchestras (violins, violas, cellos, double basses, flutes, oboes, clarinets and brass) through to recorder groups, percussion groups and general miscellaneous groupings made up of whatever players and instruments were available in the school.
In this section you will find a selection of audio and images depicting music groups in schools.
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Ethnic
New Zealand is made up of people who emigrated from many countries - Pacific Islands, Scotland, Ireland, Holland, Dalmatia (a region of Yugoslavia), Scandinavia, Croatia and many more. Active participation in music is one of the strongest ways of retaining a sense of cultural identity within their new country.
In this section you will find a selection of audio, and images depicting music making people who emigrated from many countries. Also included is a selection of some of our own "ethnic" music that reflects New Zealand's distinctive culture and identity.
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Family
Before the advent of recorded music, families were active in making music together, in ensembles and vocal groups of wide ranging styles and instrumentation. The piano and other keyboard instruments, particularly the harmonium, are most common in the family groups in our collection. Notice the unusual photographs of families, complete with piano or keyboard instrument, playing in an outdoor setting!
In this section you will find a selection of audio and images depicting families active in making music together.
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Solo
The need to express ourselves through performing solo was as strong in earlier times as it is today. Our collection shows a great variety of performers, their instruments and the physical environment where the music is being performed. We see a Maori girl playing a Jew's harp, contrasted with a more traditional performer at the pipe organ. There is a great range of contrasting instruments and players within this category of solo performers.
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Modern Groups
Modern groups are defined here as those that evolved from the 1920s, playing jazz, swing, dixieland, big band, rock and pop. The entertainment industry had a lively following in New Zealand, influenced largely by the music of America. Recording technology made it possible for local musicians to hear the new music and transcribe it for their own bands. People went to cabarets, dance halls and 'dine and dance' venues. Larger bands were often featured as the highlight of these venues. The 'dine and dance' culture died off in the 1960s when recorded music, cheaper than hiring live musicians, took over this environment to a large extent. At the same time, the emergence of rock and pop concerts in larger venues, which generated more money, replaced the more intimate 'dine and dance' environment.
In this section you will find a selection of images depicting these Modern groups.
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Maori
Traditional Maori music is inseparable from Taha Maori, the Maori way of life. Music is interwoven into the total fabric of Tikanga Maori. Karakia, waiata, karanga, haka - all are integrated into life celebrations and events. Later Maori music shows the European influence. Often, Pakeha music was adapted by Maori, who replaced existing texts with their own. For example, the beautiful song "Tama Nga Te Marie", is originally an Anglican hymn while Now Is the Hour sung by Ana Hato has been adapted from the original, in two ways. One texturally, two, rhythmically.
In this section you will find a selection of audio and images depicting Maori music; karakia, waiata, karanga, haka.
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Choral
From the earliest days of European settlement in New Zealand, communities have formed choirs. Large choirs, for example, the Royal Christchurch Musical Society, had membership of up to two hundred singers. These choirs are divided into four sections : Soprano - high female voice; Contralto - low female voice; Tenor - high male voice; Bass - low male voice. As well as large choirs, there are many women's choirs, male voice choirs, and smaller mixed (male and female) choirs, which sometimes specialise in a particular genre of music, for example, Baroque, or Contemporary, or Gospel music. There are choirs of every culture, including Maori (concert parties, Kapa Haka) and Samoan. Many of our finest singers, composers and musicians have had significant music education through their involvement in school, church, and community and cultural choirs. Our New Zealand Youth Choir is one of the leading youth choirs in the world. New Zealanders love to sing!
In this section you will find a selection of audio, and images depicting choirs in New Zealand.
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Name Bands
As dance music and venues sprang up from the 1920s and through to the 50s and 60s, there emerged in New Zealand a significant number of name bands. This reflected a similar trend in other parts of the world, particularly America and Britain. Sometimes the name came from the leader/founder of the band or group, for example, the Bob Bradford Big Band. Other names emerged from family groups, e.g. The Tahiwis and the Yandall Sisters. Even in the smaller more isolated regions name bands were very popular. Around Stratford in the 1930s there were 4 dance bands operating: Vern Henry's Valencia Boys, Wright's Dance Band, Jack Hooker's Merrymakers and Bert Vinsen's Ambassadors. In one year alone Bert Vinsen's Ambassadors carried out over 300 engagements!
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Military
Military bands play a huge part in the history of New Zealand culture. Formed originally for the purposes of military and the state, they have retained their significance in society on occasions such as ANZAC day and military tattoos. Apart from the pomp and circumstance that these bands provided, they once held a role of profound meaning, keeping spirits high and soldiers marching, in the daunting face of war.
In this section you will find a selection of audio and images depicting Military bands and performers.
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Popular
Our collection of popular music highlights the many songs which inform us of time and place, issues and idiosyncrasies in New Zealand culture. For example, when Sir Edmund Hillary climbed Mt Everest one song writer felt compelled to write a song about it! Or, a composer who loves Paekakariki writes a song praising this place. You will hear original recordings as well as re-makes, for example, When the Cat's Been Spayed singing Tea in Te Kuiti. The original was composed by the songwriter, Ken Avery.
In this section you will find a selection of historical audio and images depicting popular musicians and bands performing live. Among these sound bites you will hear also some of our most famous performers from the 1920s to the 1950s - Gil Dech, Nancy Harrie, Vincent Aspey, to name a few.
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Visual Arts
In this section you can view eight topics featuring works by New Zealand artists, photographers, designers and architects. Each topic includes an essay, a list of further resources and a selection of some of the following: photographs, drawings, prints, paintings, and posters. These topics have been designed to support the Arts/ Nga Toi curriculum in New Zealand schools.
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Portrait Painting
For many 19th and 20th century New Zealand artists portraiture was an important pursuit. Often painting their friends and family or even themselves, artists continued to be attracted by the mystery of the human face. In this section you will find a range of portraits. Consider them in terms of physical likeness, psychological insight and painterly expressiveness: how do these aspects interact?
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Post-Modernism in Contemporary New Zealand Art During the 1980s and Early 1990s
Contemporary New Zealand art underwent a transformation during the1980s with the 'arrival' of post-modernism. Broadly speaking, post-modernism was about new ways of thinking about art and culture: ways of thinking that questioned long-established patterns and hierarchies. Post-modernism had a far-reaching effect on artists, especially the younger generation, who found it liberating. This is the background against which much of the art presented in this topic was produced.
In this section you will find a range of images by contemporary New Zealand artists who were influenced directly by post-modern and post-colonial thought during the 1980s and early 1990s.
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Posters
The poster has become part of our urban environment where images compete in a marketplace for attention. From the beginning this visual competition has informed the design of posters and fuelled the continuing search for new attention-grabbing techniques. No matter how artistic a poster might be, if it doesn't grab our attention in the street and communicate instantly, it cannot be said to be successful.
In this section you will find a range of New Zealand posters promoting a variety of cultural and commercial activities.
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Electoral Politics
In this section you will find a selection of political party election posters, from the 1940s to the early 1960s.
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Food
In this section you will find a selection of posters with various messages about food.
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Drama
In this section you will find a selection of posters advertising live theatre performance.
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World War I and World War II
In this section you will find a selection of wartime posters urging patriotism, enlistment etc.
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Protest
In this section you will find a selection of protest posters.
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Travel
In this section you will find a selection of 20th century posters advertising travel and tourism.
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Music
In this section you will find a selection of posters advertising 1980s Flying Nun rock bands for live performances and recordings.
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Dance
In this section you will find a selection of posters advertising live dance performances by the Limbs Dance Company.
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Art Exhibitions
In this section you will find a selection of posters advertising art exhibitions.
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Film
In this section you will find a selection of posters advertising New Zealand feature films.
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Health and Safety
In this section you will find a selection of posters issued by the New Zealand Government.
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Environment
In this section you will find a selection of posters dealing with aspects of the environment.
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Traditional Maori Arts
The traditional Maori arts - carving (Te toi whakairo) and weaving (Nga mahi a te whare pora) - evolved over a period of some 500 years following the arrival of the first Polynesian settlers in Aotearoa. What began about 1000 years ago as a response to new materials and climate, gradually evolved into a highly developed material culture in which stylistic difference developed as tribal identity emerged. European colonisation also had a major impact on traditional arts. Here you will find a range of images depicting traditional Maori arts from iwi and regional carving styles to woven garments.
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Whare
In this section you will find a selection of images which show whare whakairo, (carved meeting houses).
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Waka
In this section you will find a selection of images which show waka.
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Waharoa = Gateways
In this section you will find a selection of images which show waharoa, (gateways and entrances).
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Pataka = Storehouses
In this section you will find a selection of images which show pataka, (storehouses).
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Kowhaiwhai
In this section you will find a selection of images which show kowhaiwhai.
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Tukutuku
In this section you will find a selection of images which show tukutuku.
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Taniko
In this section you will find a selection of images which show taniko
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Kakahu, Cloaks and Other Garments
In this section you will find a selection of images which show types of kakahu, (cloaks) as well as other garments.
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Moko
In this section you will find a selection of audio, and images which show male and female moko.
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Rakau a tu = Weapons
In this section you will find a selection of images and audio which show traditional weapons.
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Whariki, takapau, hinaki and kete
In this section you will find a selection of images which show whariki, takapau kete and hinaki (plaited mats and baskets)
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Implements and Adornments
In this section you will find a selection of images which show traditional implements and adornments.
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Whakairo (Wanganui)
In this section you will find a selection of carved items in the style of whakairo Wanganui.
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Whakairo (Te Kaha)
In this section you will find a selection of carved items in the style of whakairo Te Kaha.
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Whakairo (Tainui)
In this section you will find a selection of carved items in the style of whakairo Tainui
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Whakairo (Ngapuhi)
In this section you will find a selection of carved items in the style of whakairo Ngapuhi.
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Whakairo (Taranaki)
In this section you will find a selection of carved items in the style of whakairo Taranaki.
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Whakairo (Parehauraki)
In this section you will find a selection of carved items in the style of whakairo Parehauraki.
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Whakairo (Ngati Kahungunu)
In this section you will find a selection of carved items in the style of whakairo Ngati Kahungunu.
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Whakairo (Tuhoe)
In this section you will find a selection of carved items in the style of whakairo Tuhoe.
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Whakairo (Te Arawa)
In this section you will find a selection of carved items in the style of whakairo Te Arawa.
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Whakairo (Horowhenua)
In this section you will find a selection of carved items in the style of whakairo Horowhenua.
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Whakairo (Raharuhi Rukupo Ngati Porou)
In this section you will find a selection of carved items in the style of Raharahi Rukupo Ngati Porou.
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18th Century and 19th Century New Zealand Art
The first European artists to depict Aotearoa/New Zealand and its inhabitants, the Maori, were professional artists attached to the earliest voyages of discovery into the Pacific. However, once colonisation had got underway in the 19th century, it was mainly amateurs who depicted New Zealand. Many were surveyors or engineers. Two of the best - William Fox and James Richmond - were politicians. It is amazing to think that with all the time and energy required in the settling and clearing of land, the building of towns, dealing with worsening conflicts with Maori - in short, the whole colonial project - that so much art was produced.
In this topic you can sample a broad range of images from both first contact and colonial phases of New Zealand's history.
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Ashworth, Edward 1814-1896
In this section you will find a selection of works by Edward Ashworth.
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Aubrey, Christopher, fl 1868-1906
In this section you will find a selection of works by Christopher Aubrey.
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Backhouse, John Philemon 1845-1908
In this section you will find a selection of works by John Philemon Backhouse.
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Blomfield, Charles 1848-1926
In this section you will find a selection of works by Charles Blomfield.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Bambridge, William 1819-1879
In this section you will find a selection of works by William Bambridge.
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Bridge, Cyprian (Lieutenant-Colonel) 1807-1885
In this section you will find a selection of works by Cyprian Bridge.
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Buchanan, John 1819-1898
In this section you will find a selection of works by John Buchanan.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Chazal, Antoine 1793-1854
In this section you will find a selection of works by Antoine Chazal.
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Chevalier, Nicholas 1828-1902
In this section you will find a selection of works by Nicholas Chevalier.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Coates, Isaac 1808-1878
In this section you will find a selection of works by Isaac Coates.
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Cookson, Janetta Maria 1812-1867
In this section you will find a selection of works by Janetta Maria Cookson.
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Fox, William (Sir) 1812-1893
In this section you will find a selection of works by William Fox.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Gold, Charles Emilius 1809-1871
In this section you will find a selection of works by Charles Emilius Gold.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Greenwood, Sarah 1809?-1889
In this section you will find a selection of works by Sarah Greenwood.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Gully, John 1819?-1888
In this section you will find a selection of works by John Gully.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Hamley, Joseph Osbertus 1820-1911
In this section you will find a selection of works by Joseph Osbertus Hamley.
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Hands, Alfred Watson 1849-1927
In this section you will find a selection of works by Alfred Watson Hands.
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Harris, Emily Cumming 1836?-1925
In this section you will find a selection of works by Emily Cumming Harris.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Heaphy, Charles 1820-1881
In this section you will find a selection of works by Charles Heaphy.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Hodges, William 1744-1797
In this section you will find a selection of works by William Hodges.
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Hodgkins, William Mathew 1833?-1898
In this section you will find a selection of works by William Mathew Hodgkins.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Hutton, Thomas Biddulph (Rev) 1824-1886
In this section you will find a selection of works by Thomas Biddulph Hutton.
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King, Martha 1803?-1897
In this section you will find a selection of works by Martha King.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Markham, Edward 1801-1865
In this section you will find a selection of works by Edward Markham.
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Mantell, Walter Baldock Durrant 1820-1895
In this section you will find a selection of works by Walter Baldock Durrant Mantell.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Merrett, Joseph Jenner 1816?-1854
In this section you will find a selection of works by Joseph Jenner Merrett.
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Pearse, John 1808-1882
In this section you will find a selection of works by John Pearse.
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Parkinson, Sydney 1745?-1771
In this section you will find a selection of works by Sydney Parkinson.
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Robley, Horatio Gordon 1840-1930
In this section you will find a selection of works by Horatio Gordon Robley.
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Sainson, Louis Auguste de 1800-1887?
In this section you will find a selection of works by Louis Auguste Sainson.
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Smith, William Mein 1799-1869
In this section you will find a selection of works by William Mein Smith.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Strutt, William 1825-1915
In this section you will find a selection of works by William Strutt.
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Swainson, William 1789-1855
In this section you will find a selection of works by William Swainson.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Taylor, Richard (Rev) 1805-1873
In this section you will find a selection of works by Richard Taylor
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Webber, John 1751-1793
In this section you will find a selection of works by John Webber.
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Welch, Joseph Sandell 1841-1918
In this section you will find a selection of works by Joseph Sandell Welch.
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Williams, Edward Arthur (Colonel) 1824-1898
In this section you will find a selection of works by Edward Arthur Williams.
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Haast, Johann Franz Julius von (Sir) 1822-1887
In this section you will find a selection of works by Johann Franz Julius Von Haast.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Tempsky, Gustavus Ferdinand von 1828-1868
In this section you will find a selection of works by Gustavus Ferdinand Von Tempsky.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Williams, John, d 1905?
In this section you will find a selection of works by John Williams.
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20th Century New Zealand Art and the Practice of Drawing
The practice of drawing has been fundamental to western art. Drawing was used as a systematic study of subject and form, toward major paintings or sculpture. Occasionally though, a drawing expressed everything that the artist sought, and he or she realised that this could not be added to. Modern painters like Picasso and Matisse continued this tradition. In this topic you will find selections of drawings by modern New Zealand painters like Toss Woollaston, Rita Angus and Charles Tole who were influenced by Picasso and Matisse.
Drawing is now not as widely practised by today's contemporary artists, largely because traditional media like oil painting are not as prevalent as they once were. Many artists are now using digital media, film and video. However, there are young painters like Matthew Hunt, who use drawing as an imaginative tool and as a way of 'processing' the media culture which is his 'landscape'. In this topic you will see the role that drawing plays in his art.
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Angus, Rita 1908-1970
In this section you will find a selection of images by Rita Angus. Rita Angus is best known for her highly personal, hard-edged realist paintings - portraits, landscapes, and still life. During the 1950s, however, she experimented with abstraction, and produced a small number of completely abstract oils.
Angus painted a number of nature studies at Waikanae, on the Kapiti Coast, where her parents lived from 1943-1953. Angus made annual visits there, and found a rich source of subjects in the three-acre garden and seaside. Some of her sketches were worked up into background details for major oil paintings - such as her celebrated self-portrait Rutu.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Hunt, Matthew
In this section you will find a selection of images by Matthew Hunt. Hunt's artwork depicts physical and spiritual revelations of an apocalyptic and prophetic nature. To convey his vision Hunt is continually distilling symbols from contemporary society - anything from Star Wars to Women's fashion magazines - along with Biblical themes and imagery. While Hunt's art is often humorous there is also a seriousness behind it that relates to Christian morality. Hunt also incorporates sculpture and video with his painting.
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Spencer-Bower, Catherine Olivia Orme 1905-1982
In this section you will find a selection of images by Olivia Spencer Bower.
While recovering from an illness in 1948, Olivia Spencer-Bower travelled to Rawene on the advice of her doctor, for a 'change of air'. There, she met the superintendent of Rawene hospital, and local community leader, Dr George M. Smith. He allowed her to sketch and paint at the hospital, which led to a series of images of Maori women and children. On several occasions Spencer-Bower accompanied Dr Graham Kemble-Welsh, who was then working with Dr Smith, on medical trips to Maori settlements in Northland.
Spencer-Bower remained in Rawene for several months. By 13 April she was sketching Maori women and babies in the hospital.
'I was excited by the spirit of the old fortified hills, the mixture of the old Maori culture with the new, the mangrove swamps, the remoteness of the place and the speedy accessibility to them by launch.'
- Olivia Spencer-Bower on Rawene
Olivia Spencer-Bower's Rawene diary records her impressions of Rawene hospital, the life of local Maori, and the activities of the medical staff working at the hospital.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Tole, Charles Holbert Smales 1903-1988
In this section you will find a selection of images by Charles Tole.
Charles Tole only began to paint when he was 40, and learnt by watching his brother, John, who had studied art under John Weeks. Charles, a devout Catholic and a bachelor, went on to become a highly accomplished painter of semi-abstract landscapes and industrial scenes.
Charles Tole deposited some papers in the Turnbull Library in 1977, including a file on his win in the 1970 Wanganui Sarjeant Gallery Art Competition. Tole's win - with the only semi-abstract painting in the competition - prompted an outburst from the local media.
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Scales, Flora 1887-1985
In this section you will find a selection of images by Flora Scales.
Flora Scales spent much of her life in Europe, and studied at some of the most 'modern' art schools in France and Germany during the early 1930s. When she briefly returned to New Zealand in 1934, her work, and the theories she had absorbed, made a lasting impression on the young Toss Woollaston.
Flora Scales led a remarkably independent and adventurous life for a woman of her era. She never married, and continued to paint well into her nineties. Artist Gretchen Albrecht, who befriended her in the 1970s, wrote: 'she was living proof that painting could stand at the core of a woman's life and sustain her through everything.'
In 1977, at the age of 90, Flora Scales left New Zealand for her final visit to England and France. By this time her eyesight had deteriorated, but she continued to paint and draw as she had all her life.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Woollaston, Mountford Tosswill (Sir) 1910-1998
In this section you will find a selection of images by Toss Woollaston.
Toss Woollaston, who died in 1998, is one of New Zealand's finest 20th century landscape painters. Drawing was an essential part of his working method - a means of getting to know a landscape and building up pictorial data for a large oil.
During the early 1960s, Woollaston worked year round as a salesman of Rawleigh's household goods, and it was only occasionally that he was able to paint full-time.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Photography
Since its invention over 161 years ago photography's ability to fix a moment in time has been a source of fascination. A large part of our attraction to photographic images can be explained by the fact that those fixed moments are the stuff of experience and memory: our lives. Of course, photography is used for many other purposes. From the snapshot to the police 'mug shot'; from satellite images to the glossy fashion spread, photographs are everywhere - a dominant feature in the environment of competing images that we inhabit.
In this topic you will find hundreds of images by 19th and 20th century New Zealand photographers - professionals, amateurs, artists, children - who have gone out into the world wide-eyed with curiosity. Their work will give you a good idea of what photography has been about in New Zealand over the last 150 years.
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19th Century Photographers
The invention of photography was announced in Paris in 1839 and Europe's industrial and scientific cultures were quick to recognise photography's potential as a remarkable new tool for recording and classifying the physical world as it was being revealed through exploration and colonisation. Some of New Zealand's earliest professional photographers were called on to record gold fields and battlefields.
New Zealand itself - on the opposite side of the globe to Europe - was an exotic land and photographs of its natural features and indigenous people were sought after. In our 'special-effects' time it's hard to imagine just how wondrous these images must have seemed. But, as you look at early photographs, presented in this section, some of them 150 years old, try thinking about how they would have appeared to someone your own age at the time they were taken.
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Beere, Daniel Manders 1833-1909
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 19th century photographer, Daniel Manders Beere.
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Burton Brothers (Dunedin) 1868-1898
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 19th century photographers, the Burton brothers.
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Carnell, Samuel 1832-1920
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 19th century photographer, Samuel Carnell.
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Fell, Charles Yates 1844-1918
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 19th century photographer, Charles Yates Fell.
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Harding, William James 1826-1899
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 19th century photographer, William James Harding.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Hislop, Harold Stevens, d 1933
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 19th century photographer, Harold Stevens Hislop.
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Northwood, Arthur James 1880-1949
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 19th century photographer, Arthur James Northwood.
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Temple, William (Lieutenant-Colonel) 1833-1919
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 19th century photographer, William Temple.
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Tyree Brothers
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 19th century photographers, the Tyree brothers.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Valentine, George Dobson, fl 1880s
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 19th century photographer, George Dobson Valentine.
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Williams, William 1859-1948
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 19th century photographer, William Williams.
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Wright, Henry Charles Clarke 1844-1936
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 19th century photographer, Henry Charles Clarke Wright.
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Early Photographers
In this section you will find a selection of images by early 19th century photographers.
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Hamel, Bruno L, fl 1859
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 19th century photographer Bruno Hamel.
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20th Century Photographers
The 20th century saw the practice of photography transformed by technology, as well as by its adoption as serious means of visual expression. It was a century in which photography became increasingly important to avant-garde artists and art museums at the same time as it became the century's most 'democratic' artform. The 'instamatic' made everyone a photographer. Despite the many facets that go to make up photography at the end of the 20th century, what remains true is that certain photographs "make us more aware of the world we inhabit." Here you will find a selection of some of those photographs.
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Adkin, George Leslie 1888-1964
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, George Leslie Adkin.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Bayly, Janet 1955-
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, Janet Bayly.
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Black, Peter, fl 1980-1990s
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, Peter Black.
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Burt, Gordon Onslow Hilbury 1893-1968
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, Gordon Burt.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Clark, Fiona 1960-
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, Fiona Clark.
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Craddock Album
In this section you will find a selection of images from the Craddock Album.
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De Beer, Dora Hallenstein 1891-1982
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, Dora De Beer.
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Department of Labour
In this section you will find a selection of early 20th century images, commissioned by the Department of Labour.
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Foster, Bruce 1948-
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, Bruce Foster.
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Gleeson, Francis Joseph 1908-1993
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, Francis Joseph Gleeson.
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Godber, Albert Percy 1875-1949
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, Albert Percy Godber.
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Hewson, Paul 1948-
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, Paul Hewson.
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Jenkinson, Megan 1958-
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, Megan Jenkinson.
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Kent, Thelma Rene 1899-1946
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, Thelma Rene Kent.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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McDonald, James Ingram 1865-1935
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, James Ingram McDonald.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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McAllister, James 1869-1952
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, James McAllister.
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Moore, Robert Percy 1881-1948
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, Robert Percy Moore.
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Noble, Anne 1954-
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, Anne Noble.
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Niven, Ken E 1911-
In this section you will find a selection of images by 20th century photographer, Ken E Niven commissioned by James Smiths Ltd.
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Pascoe, John Dobree 1908-1972
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, John Dobree Pascoe.
A biographical essay and further references are available at the Electronic Dictionary of New Zealand Biography website: http://www.dnzb.govt.nz
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Peryer, Peter, fl 1980-1990s
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, Peter Peryer.
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Powles, Charles Guy (Colonel) 1872-1951
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, Charles Guy Powles, taken during the Palestine Campaign of World War One.
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Shannon, Marie 1960-
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, Marie Shannon.
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Tattersall, Alfred John 1865-1951
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, Alfred John Tattersall, taken in Samoa.
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Smith, Sydney Charles 1888-1972
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, Sydney Charles Smith.
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Webb, Steffano Francis 1880?-1967
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, Steffano Webb.
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Westra, Ans 1936-
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, Ans Westra.
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Pringle, Thomas 1858-1931
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, Thomas Pringle.
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Lewers, Neville Robert 1913-
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, Neville Lewers.
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Tesla Studios, Wanganui
In this section you will find a selection of images by 20th century photographers, Frank Denton, Mark Lampe and Alfred Martin, who worked for Tesla Studios in Wanganui.
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Kinsey, Joseph James (Sir) 1852-1936
In this section you will find a selection of images by the 20th century photographer, Sir Joseph James Kinsey.
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Process and Applications
The history of photography's technologies and processes, as well as their myriad applications in a rapidly changing world is a specialised one and can only be touched on superficially within the scope of this section. It is a history that parallels the rapid developments in western science and technology that occurred in the 19th and 20th centuries.
One hundred and sixty years or so have passed since photography's invention, which was really the invention of a means of fixing images. Images had been successfully projected through the lens of a camera obscura since the 16th century, when artists used such projections as an aid to drawing. But it was the first photographic fixing processes perfected in France in 1839 - most famously the Daguerrotype process - which initiated what would become a continuing search for ever more effective ways of capturing and reproducing images. Images that would proliferate and find applications in such diverse areas as social reform, commerce, mass media, science, surveillance, and espionage and art. In this section you will find examples of some of the earliest photographic processes (e.g. daguerrotype), as well as cameras (e.g. box cameras, field cameras, large format and reflex cameras) and images of photographers at work. You will also encounter some intriguing photographic ephemera.
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Architecture
Architecture arises from the basic human need for shelter and security, but it can also be a sophisticated art form: think of some of the world's great cathedrals, mosques and temples. From before 1840, New Zealand colonists set about building the houses and farm buildings, banks, pubs and churches, that we now refer to as colonial architecture. Not all of the buildings collected here are significant architecture. But they give you an idea of some of the structures that have been built in New Zealand since the arrival of the Pakeha, through to the post-Second World War period. You will also find a small selection of traditional and colonial pacific Island building that provides an interesting contrast.
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Churches in New Zealand
In this section you will find a selection of churches built in New Zealand that reflect a range of architectural periods and styles.
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19th Century Vernacular Architecture
In this section you will find a selection of 19th century vernacular building, focusing on early rural dwellings and huts.
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Architectural Plans
In this section you will find a selection of late 18th century early 19th century architectural drawings and plans.
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19th Century Hotels
In this section you will find a selection of 19th century hotels built in New Zealand that reflect changing architectural periods and styles.
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Neo-Classicism
In this section you will find a selection of 19th century New Zealand buildings that reflected the popularity of the neo-classical style.
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1960s Buildings
In this section you will find a selection of 1960s buildings.
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Art Deco Buildings
In this section you will find a selection of art deco buildings.
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1960s Houses and Flats
In this section you will find a selection of 1960s houses and flats including some domestic interiors.
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Traditional Pacific Island Architecture
In this section, by way of contrast with building in New Zealand, you will find a selection of traditional Pacific Island buildings.
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