Portrait of a boy with double chin

Text originally created for Tūrangawaewae: Art and New Zealand exhibition at Te Papa, March 2018.

Who is this boy? Who painted him? For whom?

This charmingly awkward portrait of a stiffly posed boy in a sailor suit raises questions rather than offering answers. It may be based on a photograph – the stark room looks like a photographic studio, and the boy’s expression is serious, as if frozen in a long exposure. Though the boy’s face is painted with skill, his clothes and the background are a bit clumsy. It might even be the work of two artists – one trained, one amateur.

Ko wai tēnei tama? Nā wai ia i peita? Mā wai?

He nui ake ngā pātai ka hua ake i tēnei kōwaiwai o tētahi tama i tēnā i ngā whakautu. Te āhua nei he mea tā tēnei mai i tētahi whakaahua. He ōrite te rūma ki tētahi taupuni whakaahua, ā, he āhua manawa kawa te mata o te tama, ānō kei tawhiti kē ōna whakaaro. Ahakoa te pai o te mata o te tama, he āhua kanukanu ōna kākahu me te tuarongo. Tērā pea nā tētahi tokorua te mahi nei – he mātanga tētahi he tauhou tētahi.