ABOVE: Gottfried Bohumir Lindauer self portrait. Painted in oil in 1916

DOUGIE’S 80th BIRTHDAY RAVE!

The Lindauer Art Heist after a ram raid in Auckland is news as I write, making me think about previous art thefts, the reasons for them, and who might be involved. The actual theft in Auckland, at this stage, sounds hardly a professional well planned operation. The police have stated that the paintings have been damaged, presumably surface scratch residue or worse, which suggests to me that the action is rather more a statement than a theft for financial gain. We will no doubt know more as time proceeds.

We have all seen films or read exciting accounts where missing art is discovered after the death of a passionate maniacal collector or, as in the superb and gripping 2013 feature film ‘La migliore offerta’ or ‘The Best Offer’, where the art dealer himself has his entire collection stolen by a well organised group of ruthless young people. It stars Australian actor Geoffrey Rush, also ‘The Kings Speech’ was directed by Italian Guisepe Tornatore, and shot in Italy. You will all enjoy it, but bleed for the poor man. I tell you no more – watch it – with maybe a good French Pastis or Campari Soda with ice, in your hand to frequently sip.

Gottfried Lindauer 1839 -1926 was born to a Czech parent. Although he was from Pilsen Bohemia, he studied art in Vienna. Basically, he was an 1800s professional journeyman painter.  In New Zealand he recorded Maori of his day as they were. First with a sketchbook and observed drawings, and later with sittings where he painted the subjects from life. He also used photography and even over painted photo images of chiefs from before his arrival. It was highly finished work and typical of the period and his background. These works today are treasures. Interestingly his reference photographs in black and white of the same subjects may not be thought of in the same ‘treasure’ category – I don’t know, but I question why not? They are the original images of the very people he painted. I am not an authority but wonder why they are not even more important than the paintings. The Turnbull library in 1917 termed many paintings merely coloured photographs!

Goldie, born in Auckland only four years after Gottfreid Lindauer arrived as a mature painter also worked from set up studio pictures. They both altered moko, dress, even flipping the face image. But thank goodness they did their paintings. They represent the most accurate images of Maori who were believed at that time to be a dying race. Certainly, the purity of blood line was dying. Maori DNA today contains many other blood lines. You may be forgiven for confusing paintings by Lindauer and Goldie. They are both very similar in style, and it is possible some sitters sat for them both.

Plenty of other artists working at that time made equally well painted works, their draughtsmanship was excellent as was their attention to the application of paint and their materials. But today some experts on TV prefer not to talk about these details so important to us artists who grapple with technique and skill. Well drawn images are sometimes even scorned. I find this anomaly sad. I enjoy both the regular 1860 Salon works as I do the 1900 French Impressionists such as Paul Gauguin who also visited New Zealand at this time, nor understood his thick ankled women until I saw Polynesians in Auckland for the first time.

His group were unaccepted by the salon Paris because of loose painting, daubing, colour and style – the turnabout is ironic and likely features a reverse argument with today’s current art community who favour the primitive – sometimes only as good as the artist can achieve. Not a trained hand and head like Picasso that choose to paint that way to make a graphic statement. Pablo Picasso wanted to paint as a child, enjoying the amazing naïve assessment of a subject that children naturally have, so he painted like a child, as best he could – and discovered more satisfying imagery perhaps.

I also believe that some strange, even poor, art is promoted by dealers who follow Diderot’s demand of “Astonish Me” that I have previously spoken of (Sketch Club 2 – Dougie Chowns). They pay more attention to a good story to launch a marketing platform, a sob story, an eccentric, an exotic dancer or jailbird to attract interest rather than a wholesome middle-of-the-road painter. Where art is art and what is ‘an artist’s amusement’ falls, is anyone’s guess. The magic plus ingredient makes the sale. It’s called ‘provenance’, which increases the value of work and has become, at times, rather more important than the art itself. The amazing difference in the value of artwork or objet d’art with or without provenance is to me, astounding.

Also annoying, as often provenance comes into being after the artists death and they are unable to answer back. I find Antiques Road Show on TV one of the best and most enjoyable programs, but the low value of a well painted and presented non-popular artwork beautifully framed is often priced at ridiculously low value – infuriating. My ex-1950s copywriter colleague art writer Edward Lucie-Smith explained, while driving NZ between lectures twenty years ago, that “art has nothing to do with art, but everything to do with money”. Art is a money industry. That trip was an education for me – maybe I’ll write more about it one day!

The stolen Lindauers were treasures in Gottfreid’s lifetime when descendants would visit his atelier and sit looking at them almost as if face-to-face. I find that so good, as I am steeped myself in Celtic protocol and observance. I truly believe we all should know from where we come.

However, these Lindauer paintings are not Maori works, nor were they honoured, it appears, for years as treasures by all Maori. Spiritual reservations existed both ways. Some say Maori were given European features because the painter was European. I think not personally. A trained artist takes pride in painting or drawing what they see. These painters, Lindauer and Goldie, were paid well to record history accurately, so I believe they are. In earlier times Central American Arawak Indian Caribes, and even an early Pictish woman, were painted by artists who imagined how they looked, or what newly discovered lands and vegetation beyond their horizon looked like. These were merely made-up interesting images from written accounts to illustrate how they ‘may’ have looked.

1890 photography was accurate and apart from minor photo-set creativity by the photographer, these are indeed accurate portraits of Pre- European Maori. They are priceless – especially to the descendants today, as must be the original black and white glass plate photo originals.

When a collection of similar paintings was shown in Whangarei some years ago, as a joint exhibition with Zela Charlton, Zela’s presence – supposed to be equal – was minimised, sad to say, by massive Maori protocol. Not even on the edge, she was noticeably left out. I have not spoken of this before so now is a good time. The curator should have stepped in to restore the balance of the joint show. I noticed Zela – a very talented mature artist, wife of artist Alan, and mother of jeweller Nick and lecturer artist James – leave, feeling destroyed after over an hour with no mention. So excited were those present of their European recorded ancestors that they, even today, should seek her forgiveness.

Back in 1973 Zela and Alan introduced the first ever Art Exhibition to Northland – on a hurricane wire fence outside the public library. Zela – in your hippie flower child dress and straw sun hat – you are not forgotten, but rather much valued. Thank you.

I believe artists should be recognised for their talent, not because they manufacture a commodity to line a middleman’s pocket. Hard words? About to become eighty years old and sixty-five years earning a living from my art – this ‘thirty-five-year-old’ feels equally qualified to confidently voice opinion. I don’t expect you to agree, I talk only from my own limited experience. I also advise be aware when quoting writers of books – their bibliography is very often also only quoted and may be a false opinion. Opinions are not facts, but they make good copy and sell books.

In order to assess Van Gogh, as a senior tutor I insisted my students sit in the Olive grove at Clinique St Paul in St Remy, with the Mistral blowing about their ears, so that they could make up their own minds and value the imagery, colour and drawing of ‘Starry night’, often written up in reliable art books by those who do not paint or have never visited. Oil painting in wind and dust with twigs flying, by an impatient man – try it and you will understand.

If I sound like sour grapes this morning – I assure you I am not. I even bought back one of my own works sold for about $800 in 1981 for an agreed value of $4000 just before Christmas – half cash and balance in the use of my holiday home. I just liked the work and had previously quoted my opinion on insurance value. Whooops! but that is another double-double Bloody Mary story (of my last edition editorial) Ha Ha! No regrets, it’s wonderful to find your own work after decades, like an old friend. I wonder how the Impressionists would find our current values and admiration of their work.

What will police reveal by the time of this publication – whatever, it will add to the ‘provenance’, damaged or not, and is likely to increase the market value, lift the work into the ‘more desirable to own’ category.

Now I remember and wonder about my own original copper plates bought in auction in 1976 – superbly and confidently hand etched or photo mechanicals from Goldie’s Chiefs Tamati Waka Nene and I believe Wharakauri Tahuna, if as likely the hand etched line is very confident and brilliant drawing into the smoked wax – now there’s a thought. I’d better recover them from my damp beach side atelier studio cupboard, don’t you think?

Lastly, we artists are the other side of the art scene. Interestingly, without our endeavours producing the works, writers and dealers don’t even feature. Happy painting or should I say, ‘drawing with a brush’.