Certificate of Authenticity signed by Hilda O'Connor & Allan Swinton affixed verso

Four works by John Weeks Lots 29 - 32

How refreshing to see four works of John Weeks which do justice to his wider artistic ability rather than the popularly held belief that his interest lay primarily in an interpretation of the New Zealand landscape as was suggested in an obituary at the time of his death.

Indeed the four works here give us an indication of the path of his development and his interest in modernism that he brought back to Auckland after his sojourn in Edinburgh, Paris, Morocco, Tunisia and elsewhere.

A profusion of colour and form in the background wallpaper, dado and chair, alla Nabis, does not take away from the clearly defined and dexterous use of colour in Still Life with Fruit and Flowers somewhat reminiscent of Cézanne's Still life with Compotier, of 1879-82 (private collection). Cézanne, who inspired so many, and whose work provided a starting point for much of the art of the twentieth century, perhaps provided the starting point for Weeks in his composition.

Marrakesh Markets! Such places were dear to Weeks during his time in this region. The painting provides us with a typical cubist-like work although not Cubist in a strict sense since there is no breaking up of the surface of the object to give simultaneous views as Braque and Picasso did in the years of High Cubism.

Weeks has structured the work with the strong diagonal of a pole which reaches up into the building in the back just right of centre. This building provides another short diagonal in an opposite direction creating the Renaissance pyramid. Although the diagonal line of the building is short, its direction is reinforced by three parallel lines across the canvas created by the shadows on the buildings in the middle, the last one of which follows the line of the shoulder of the figure in blue.

Weeks' ability with structure and form is seen in the Giottoesque like figure with his back to us. Indeed his right hand side carries on further the diagonal and our eye is directed to the brilliant orange flask. Yellow/orange and its complementary purple/blue in various hues dominate this lively work with the figure on the donkey engaging with us, the viewer, so we feel part of the scene. The warm colours of the earthenware vessels, together with Bernard's and Gauguin's use of cloisonnism in the blue edge (also seen on the neck of the donkey), accentuate their three-dimensionality in contrast to the two-dimensional feel of the hot yellow-tan sand itself complemented by the pale purple-blue of the vessels' shadows. The large bowl on the right sings out like a Sky satellite dish receiving the heat of the sun's rays which are then transferred to the viewer's eye. Angela Ashford