Treasure of Aigantighe
A mosh-pit of colour
Max Podstolski, Maharaja, 2004, Acrylic and PVA on canvas
Formal art education is usually an essential touchstone for a young artist beginning their career and New Zealand is home to several high quality fine arts departments through which to pursue this training.
For Max Podstolski (1952 – 2017), however, art was something that came from within the individual which could not be cultivated through formal studies – only burdened by tradition and institutional agendas.
In 1971, Podstolski enrolled in a Bachelor of Arts at Wellington’s Victoria University, but soon realised this was not the right pathway for him. He moved to the Wairarapa; the rural environment and unorthodox lifestyle stirred Podstolski’s creativity, and he spent much of his time there painting.
After several months, the artist moved back to Wellington and surrounded himself with fellow creatives – with whom he had his first group exhibition with in 1976. Amongst other exhibitions throughout his career, Podstolski would later show his artworks at the Centre of Contemporary Art in Christchurch in 2005 and our very own Aigantighe Art Gallery in 2004.
Podstolski’s art practice developed through a combination of independent learning and the creative environment he occupied.
This self-led formation ensured that he could honour and prioritise his own creative intuition rather than deadlines or artistic tradition, and focus on finding form for his raw, interior self through his artworks.
Maharaja is characteristic of the artist’s signature style wherein hieroglyphic-like figures are semi-abstracted and arranged sporadically.
Encased in a mosh-pit of colour and modelled from layers of scrawled paint and glossy PVA glue, some of the figures appear to float atop of the canvas’ surface while others seem to peek out of windows within it.
The layered quality of the work captures the tension between interior and exterior which underpinned Podstolski’s art practice and philosophy.
Maharaja is currently on display on the first floor of the Council Building outside the Council Chambers.