English: Colin John McCahon - one of New Zealand’s most celebrated modern artists - was born in Timaru on 1 August 1919. McCahon studied painting at the Dunedin School of Art in the late 1930s. He then moved around the South Island, before finally settling in Auckland where he lectured for at time at Elam Art School. McCahon became a leading figure in the modernist movement in New Zealand, and created several iconic representations of the New Zealand landscape. His works often featured words and numbers, and were characterised by strong religious and spiritual themes.
This untitled illustration by McCahon was commissioned for the New Zealand School Journal, which was established in 1907 to encourage children to read. Provided free to primary and intermediate schools, it is New Zealand’s longest-running periodical and is still being produced today. As well as McCahon, a number of significant New Zealand writers and artists have contributed to the School Journal, such as Rita Angus, E. Mervyn Taylor, Jack Lasenby, Janet Frame, Margaret Mahy and James K. Baxter.
The exact date of this image is unknown but it is located within a series of School Journal illustrations dated from 1940 -1950. This series can be searched by name online at Archway, some of the illustrations have only the artist's name pencilled on the back and others have the publication and date.
Archives Reference: AAAD 781 W2708 10/C
www.archway.archives.govt.nz/ViewEntity.do?code=781
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