Self Portraits - NZ Art
From earliest New Zealand settlement, Maori developed powerful artistic forms in the carving of bone, stone, wood and shell, and in weaving fibres. The arrival of Europeans influenced the artistic tradition of both cultures - each fed off inspiration provided by the other. Much of the earliest European artworks depicting New Zealand were produced by surveyors and the style was often romanticised and nostalgic. In the twentieth century, as New Zealand grew in national confidence, more original artists appeared. Realism and honesty about life in New Zealand became dominant themes as in paintings by Rita Angus, Colin McCahon and Toss Woolaston. In recent years, themes and styles have become more diverse, reflecting an increasingly cosmopolitan society, and many artists now show distinct Maori and Pacific Island influences.
