“Back and Beyond: New Zealand painting for the young & curious”

by Gregory O’Brien ISBN 978 186 940 4048

"Back and beyond" is a lavishly illustrated book and is a sequel to O’Brien’s earlier “Welcome to the South Seas.” The approach is familiar and chatty, based on a mix of fact and his own personal observations. In fact this seems to be his aim, to get the “curious” of the title, thinking about their own interpretation of the works, as the text in places is quite sketchy or even opinionated.
It is, however, an interesting overview of the last 200 hundred years of New Zealand art, tying together art works with similar themes common to the New Zealand experience. Many of the works would not have been previously published in books outside of exhibition catalogues, and in that sense gives little indication of the relative importance of some of the artists. This book would be suitable for Year 4 up to Intermediate level – mainly for the images. It is a beautifully produced book and would add a valuable perspective to the school art collection. An enjoyable voyage of discovery.

by Suzanne Hardy