Abstract:
Colin McCahon’s Titirangi Kauri-forest nestled house was not only a tiny and humble house for his wife and 4 children for the years of 1953-60, but it was the
birthplace of some beautiful paintings and (what has turned out to be) culturally important images for New Zealand emerging from its colonial past. This period of
Colin’s work was totally focussed on producing warm colourful images, as opposed to the Black paintings with White lettering of his later years. The Northland panels, 1958, is an important painting of that period, made up of eight vertical unframed canvas panels. They evoke a spirit of place that seemingly many Kiwis can easily relate to. The colours of these panels seem to also adorn
the surfaces of the house. This paper unpacks the colours of his house, which still stands today. The colour palette collection, surveyed and analysed through a field
study, has been compared with colour theories and relevant palettes available at
that time. The final aim of the paper is to extend our knowledge on this important artefact for New Zealand’s culture and help with its future conservation.
