Portrait of the artist

Text originally created for Tūrangawaewae: Art and New Zealand exhibition at Te Papa, March 2018

Self-portraits are often easy to pick, whatever their style or date.

When artists study their own reflections, they subject themselves to particularly intense scrutiny. George Dawe is no exception. He has painted himself with verve rather than fussy detail: here is an intelligent man who knows what’s what. Note the palette and paintbrushes that he holds.This English portraitist was among the most famous practitioners in his field during the early 19th century and became the favourite artist of the Russian court.  The self-portrait travelled to New Zealand with Dawe’s nephew, James Prendergast, who became New Zealand’s third Chief Justice.

He mārama te kite i ngā kōwaiwai kiriaro, ahakoa te tāera me te wā i peitatia ai.

Ka tiro atu te ringatoi ki a ia anō, ka āta wetewete ia i tōna anō āhua. Pēnei i a George Dawe, tētahi kaipeita kiritangata rongonui o tōna wā, nō Ingarangi, anei tōna anō kōwaiwai kiritangata, he mea peita nāna tonu, ka mutu, kei taumata kē: he tohu o te tangata mōhio ki tana mahi.

I haria mai tēnei kōwaiwai kiritangata ki Aotearoa e tana irāmutu, e James Prendegast, te Tumuaki Tuatoru o ngā Kaiwhakawā o Aotearoa.