The Maori portraits : Gottfied Lindauer's New Zealand

Abstract

Examines portrait paintings by Gottfried Lindauer depicting Māori chiefs and prominent figures. Speaks to the exhibition 'The Maori Portraits: Gottfried Lindauer's New Zealand' at the Auckaland Art Gallery, among the most significant exhibitions of Lindauer's Maori portraits ever to be staged, featuring works painted between 1874 and 1903. Details briefly Lindauer's early history and education, including his arrival to New Zealand in 1874 and the establishment of a studio in Nelson. Briefly reflects on the impact of European immigration on the Māori population. Describes Lindauer's portraits commissioned by Māori rangatira, and their role as part of a continuum of imaging and paying tribute to ancestors. Considers Lindauer's use of studio photographs to base paintings on. Comments on Lindauer's portraits of Heeni Hirini.