Colin McCahon
Here I give thanks to Mondrian

Artwork Detail
In 1958, McCahon studied Piet Mondrian’s paintings in America. He later commented:
'Mondrian, it seemed to me, came up in this century as a great barrier – the painting to END all painting. As a painter, how do you get around either a Michelangelo or a Mondrian? It seems that the only way is not more "masking tape" but more involvement in the human situation.' To the spatial expansion found in Mondrian’s painting, McCahon adds his own ‘Gate’ symbolism, which he once described as a "way through". The painting is focused on the tension between three geometrical elements – diagonals, triangles and rectangles – which seem to be in constant motion.
- Title
- Here I give thanks to Mondrian
- Artist/creator
- Production date
- 1961
- Medium
- oil (alkyd) on hardboard
- Dimensions
- 1215 x 915 mm
- Credit line
- Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, gift of the Friends of the Auckland Art Gallery, 1964
- Accession no
- 1964/9/3
- Other ID
- cm000676 Catalogue Number
- Copyright
- Copying restrictions apply
- Department
- New Zealand Art
- Display status
- Not on display
To find out which artworks are available for print requests and reproduction please enquire here. This service only applies to select artworks in the Gallery's collection.