Elijah taken up into heaven

This interpretation of the biblical story of Elijah's ascension into heaven was painted by A Lois White after the second world war. It was exhibited at the Auckland Society of Arts with another oil painting called Jubilation. Both works convey the relief and exaltation of the period.

A decorative social message
Elijah Taken up into Heaven is a good example of White's art. A committed Methodist who painted a number of her most significant works during World War II, White used her art to make social and moral comment on the effects of war. White was also exploring decorative patterning and repetition in a number of varnished watercolours. This sense of rhythm and design is apparent in Elijah Taken up into Heaven with all the forms surging up toward the light of heaven.

The 'New Group'
White was a tutor at the Elam School of Art and part of the group of staff and graduates who established the 'New Group' in 1948, the year Elijah Taken up into Heaven was exhibited. The group was founded on the teachings and philosophy of A J C Fisher, director of Elam, who emphasised draughsmanship and classical form, with an underlying political message about the role of art in society. The artists called themselves 'visualists', and said of their own philosophy that 'it has been our aim to see not only with our eyes but with our minds'.

Te Papa holds an archive of White's work, including pencil drawings and figure studies as well as paintings.