32. John Weeks
Winter on the Seine, Paris
Tempera on board
49 x 65 cm
Signed
est. $10,000 - 20,000
Fetched $7,000
Relative Size: Winter on the Seine, Paris
Relative size

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.

Careful structure in Winter on the Seine, Paris, with the painting divided in two by the bridge on the left, the line of the buildings joining up with the bridge on the right, breaks the work in two according to the Golden Section ratio of 5:8. What must be a midday sun on a cold winter's day Weeks reveals to us with the icy-blue of the left hand side building warmed by the complementary yellow-tan of that on the right.

Weeks has already taken on board the flattening out of form of modernism with the left quay rising up, rather than back into, the painting. Conversely the quay on the other side of the river gives an indication of depth creating a tension which is found in Impressionism from Manet onwards for, as Manet himself noted, the canvas is of two dimensions, not three! This work is undated but it could reasonably placed in the mid-1920s during his early time overseas possibly done while he was still in Edinburgh.

A little later in 1925 Weeks moved to Paris to study under the Cubist André Lhôte known today more for his art theory and teaching. Although Peter Shand, inter alia, has referred to the contribution of André Lhôte regarding Weeks' ability with colour, the influence of the Scottish colourists should be acknowledged as Ron Stenberg, a student and friend of Weeks, has suggested. Angela Ashford

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