Rita Angus painted this work soon after the end of the Second World War as a memorial to her sister, Edna, who had died in 1939. Angus painted a number of images of female figures, often self-portraits, and they tend to have considerable symbolic content. In this work a goddess of mercy, surrounded by a halo of branches, holds a yellow crocus, an early sign of spring, while the ploughed fields, the melting snows and the quiet animals promise a peaceful future now that the war is over.
Te whakamahi i tēnei tūemi
Christchurch Art Gallery - Te Puna o Waiwhetu
Reference: 69/75
by Rita Angus
Courtesy of the Estate of Rita AngusThis item has been provided for private study purposes (such as school projects, family and local history research) and any published reproduction (print or electronic) may infringe copyright law. It is the responsibility of the user of any material to obtain clearance from the copyright holder.