Rita Angus - Self Portrait c.1937
Rita Angus is seen as a very important artist in New Zealand in the twentieth century. I was drawn to this painting in the Beloved exhibition because of her unique style of painting. The painting has sharp edges and the face is well defined. The colours in the painting, greens, golds and browns, are iconographic of the land. The golds and browns are especially iconic of the Otago and Canterbury landscapes which she paints a lot. Artists use self portraits as a way to expose their feeling, their personality and a their private lives. Rita Angus is holding a cigarette in one hand and a green beret in the other. The cigarette in her hand shows that she is a rebel of that time, she is strong and independent. The beret in the other hand show her life as an artist. Even though the background of the picture is modern and city like, her beloved landscape is still incorporated in with the colours and folding coat. Rita Angus was truly ahead of her time, and was credited, along with a couple of other artists, with introducing modernism to NZ art. The colours, style and style in this self portrait is what drew me towards this painting.
