Fruit and flowers

John Weeks encountered the idea that a painting was not simply a copy of reality, but a harmonious combination of forms and colours, through influential teacher André Lhote. Weeks explored this idea in still-life paintings like Fruit and flowers.

Weeks studied with Lhote in Paris, where the geometric forms of Paul Cézanne and the cubists became major influences on his work. While he was working in Edinburgh, he discovered the work of Samuel John Peploe, another admirer of Cézanne.

In 1929, Weeks returned to New Zealand to teach at the Elam School of Fine Arts in Auckland. He became one of New Zealand’s most respected artists and teachers.