Colin McCahon

Still life with altar III

Still life with altar III by Colin McCahon

Artwork Detail

When the still life regained favour as a subject at the turn of the 20th century, it was for its formal properties rather than its symbolism. The genre allowed artists like Cézanne to explore the limits of painting within a tightly defined structure.

While McCahon uses a simplified visual language which follows the tradition of Cézanne, his still life objects are imbued with meaning and allusion in ways that are more in touch with the symbolic concerns of the 17th and 18th centuries. (McCahon's Visible Mysteries, 2004)

Title
Still life with altar III
Artist/creator
Colin McCahon
Production date
1967
Medium
acrylic on board
Dimensions
530 x 996 mm
Credit line
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki, on loan from a private collection
Accession no
L1998/28/23
Other ID
cm000608 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.