Lot 228

David Vávra (1957) IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF LINDAUER / MAORI LAND

Basic elements of Maori art are richly carved houses, war canoes and facial tattoos. Community problems are discussed, weddings are celebrated or the dead are mourned, traditional songs are sung and dances are performed in the social house "Marae" with its beautifully carved decoration. The second picture leads us in the footsteps of Czech artists in the world, all the way to New Zealand, not only through the remarkable life destiny of Pilsen native Bohumír Lindauer, also known as Gottfried Lindauer. While in the Czech lands he was long known only to a narrow group of experts specializing in 19th-century art, in New Zealand, where he left in 1874, his paintings of the original Maori inhabitants are considered part of the national cultural heritage, and Lindauer himself is among the most popular artists of the colonial period.