Ross Ritchie, 1941-

Résumé du livre

Ritchie's painting was always different from his contemporaries because he found no satisfaction in traditional landscapes and portraits that, apart from a select few, formed the bulk of the work of New Zealand artists In the early 1960's, to explore his own ability as an artist, to reflect the burgeoning appreciation of modern art in Auckland and hopefully to create an image for himself, Ritchie painted works that resembled those of recognisable American and British artists but which demonstrated his own originality. The search for a personal style continued for the rest of the decade with a diversity of approaches, with leanings towards design, the incorporation of figurative elements, with geometrical forms, numbers, full frontal nudes, fantasy and abstracted forms executed with a bright colourful palette. While there was still evidence of external influences, which he regarded as valuable, subjects that reflected his environment were present for the first time.