Rutu (goddess painting)

Rutu looks strikingly similar to Rita Angus, but she did not see it as a self-portrait. The painting combines iconography, references from many sources, and markers of Angus’s own identity – the fish on her collar symbolise her astrological sign, Pisces.

With blonde hair, blue eyes, and brown skin, Rutu represents a merging of Māori and European cultures – Angus believed this was the key to New Zealand’s identity as a Pacific nation. It is an idealised vision, defined by Angus’s personal experiences and references as a Pākehā artist.