Story: Painting

James Nairn, 'Hutt River'

James Nairn, 'Hutt River'

The pastel pinks and blues of Nairn's painting of the Hutt River are typical of the fresh colours he used in his works. This was an early work, painted in 1892, two years after Nairn arrived in Wellington and about the time he established the Wellington Art Club. In 1894 the club rented Pumpkin Cottage in the Hutt Valley, where scenes such as this would have been painted in the open air, with the canvases then left to dry at the cottage.

Using this item

Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa
Reference: 1939-0009-4
Oil on canvas by James Nairn

Permission of the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

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How to cite this page:

Jock Phillips, 'Painting - New birth – the 1890s', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/45876/james-nairn-hutt-river (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Jock Phillips, published 22 Oct 2014