Gordon Walters’s reputation as one of New Zealand’s most significant painters is based on a consistent and prolific output of work over more than three decades. His disciplined practice is characterised by geometrical forms and abstract designs and possesses a vital inner life. Certain design elements are derived from traditional art forms and motifs found in Maori art, such as the koru, which represents an unfurling fern frond. Walters said of the form:
. . . this Motif provides me with the expressive means I need for my work . . . the form is used to establish relationships and is varied in both positive and negative forms so that an ambiguity between figures and ground is created. This gives the painting life.
Rhythm, repetition and symmetry play an important role in Walters’s work to establish this optical pulse of life and movement. Similarly, his judicious use of colour creates harmonies and contrasts that recall the paintings of Dutch abstractionist Piet Mondrian and French–Hungarian artist Victor Vasarely, whose work he saw in the early 1950s.
Auckland City Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki presented a retrospective exhibition on Gordon Walters in 1983 and a survey exhibition, ‘Parallel Lines’, in 1994. Walters has been included in the most recent surveys of New Zealand art including ‘Headlands: Thinking through New Zealand Art’, Museum of Contemporary Art, Sydney, in 1992; and ‘A Very Peculiar Practice: Aspects of Recent New Zealand Painting’, City Gallery, Wellington, in 1995.
Gallery 4, QAG
A full-colour publication is available from the Gallery Store.
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Street address
Stanley Place
South Bank
Brisbane
Australia
Postal address
PO Box 3686
South Brisbane
Queensland 4101
Australia
Telephone
+ 61 (0)7 3840 7303
Fax
+ 61 (0)7 3844 8865
Opening hours
Monday to Friday 10.00am - 5.00pm
Saturday and Sunday 9.00am - 5.00pm
ABN
66 758 806 810
