External exam questions will be made up from the keywords below...
KEY CONTEXTS:
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KEY MEANINGS:
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There are certain ways in which a sense of place is being conveyed through features in the art works. e.g. NZ as a place for exploration, an exotic faraway place, a potential place for colonisation, a place where colonisation has been established.... NZ depicted as a Maori place, or a European place with political intentions. The sense of place in Regionalism was linked with NZ's longing for national identity with the land being an important symbol of European establishment. The concept of turangawaewae: 'a place to stand' - was a significant theme in many of contemporary Maori art works too.
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Spiritual and religious beliefs
Christianity played an important role in conveying meanings about the validity and success of the colonisation process. The inclusion of the church building and the golden light was often used as indicators of God's presence and approval. A modernist painter Colin McCahon used Christian symbols to suggest meanings about everyday spirituality for New Zealanders. Contemporary Maori artists drew upon Maori mythologies and spirituality to convey ideas and themes to educate and empower their audience.
Cultural
Cultural meanings can be discussed in many different ways: e.g. through features that convey meanings about Maori/European cultural exchange in Earle's watercolours, European colonial culture in topographical and colonial paintings, how Maori were depicted as a dying culture in Lindauer/Goldie works, how Regionalists tried to establish NZ's own cultural identity through their iconic paintings.... and of course, significant Maori cultural themes in the works of Kahukiwa and Whiting.
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Social and everyday life (e.g. domestic life, customs, representations of men and women)
Meanings about social and everyday life will involve a discussion about various aspects relevant to the analysis of selected art works. Examples of this may include: a discussion about what everyday life must have been for Maori before the European encounter (Earle, Lindauer), features that convey ideas about the colonial life (Heaphy, Kinder, Hodgkins), symbols of everyday life activities in Regionalist paintings (agriculture, urbanisation etc) and current themes relating to aspects of Maori life in contemporary Maori art works. Features that convey meanings about everyday life, such as the depiction of customs and men/women could also be discussed.