Genealogy III: Koru Fusion in Modernist Abstraction by Walters

Gordon Walters, Geneology III, 1971, printed 2020, screenprint on paper, edition of 100, indented with Walters Estate chop mark, 105.5 x 80.5 cm, Gordon Walters (1919-1995) is one of Aotearoa New Zealand's most significant artists. He is revered for his fusion of European modernism and indigenous Maori motifs. From the 1950s onwards, Walters experimented widely with Maori and Pacific symbols. This led to his synthesis of the hard-edged painting style of modernist abstraction utlising the organic form of the koru pattern, for which he became well known. The artist described his paintings as an attempt to make sense of the environment in which he lived. Genealogy III and Tahi are prime examples of his signature stylised koru achieved through extreme reduction and repetition. In these prints, Walters uses positive and negative relationships to suggest the rhythmic form of a koru. Derived from kowhaiwhai patterns, the koru refers to the endless cycle of birth, death and renewal in te ao Maori. Genealogy III divides the composition into thirds: the koru pattern appears to cascade down the surface, decreasing in size in the lower two-thirds of the picture plane. In this manner, the work suggests the idea of lineage of whakapapa inherent in the title. Walter's Genealogy series is considered one of his greatest achievements. Similarly, Tahi explores the formal and symbolic registers of the word. Meaning both 'One' and 'In unison', Tahi uses a limited palette of yellow and black to create an elegant yet powerful drama across the Art work's surface. The works strike a keen balance between geometric purity and optically charged movement.