| Summary: | Mina Arndt (1885-1926) belongs to the generation of New Zealand born artists, who established early patterns of professional art practice in this country. The events of her life
show how Arndt followed career strategies similar to other New Zealand artists of her time, but
the cultural, social and political contexts, which shaped her work and professional conduct
also set her apart from her contemporaries.
Min a Arndt was born into the sophisticated Jewish community of colonial Dunedin. Her family
background and upbringing in the liberal climate of late 19th-century Dunedin ensured for her
above average educational opportunities and first nurtured her professional ambition.
The utilitarian focus and limited scope of professional art training available in New Zealand
made it necessary for Arndt and many others like her to further her studies abroad. In 1907,
she travelled to Europe in the company of her mother and two sisters. The interests and
movements of her family determined to a considerable degree the nature of her training there,
while the timing of her arrival in England largely isolated her from contemporary trends in
modern art. Throughout her years abroad, Arndt studied with artists whose art practice was
considered up-to-date, but not avant-garde.
The first of Arndt's significant male mentors was Frank Brangwyn, who encouraged her
drawing talent and her experimentation with printmaking and other media. From London, Arndt
moved to Newlyn to study with Stanhope and Elizabeth Forbes. There Arndt extended her
skills as a figure painter. In Berlin, it was not only her encounter with Lavis Corinth, but also
her association with Jewish artists Hermann Struck and Julie Wolfthorn, which significantly
influenced the work and professional ambition of Mina Arndt.
Min a Arndt returned to New Zealand in 1915 with the aim of establishing herself as a
professional artist in her home country. Trying to adjust to the conservative cultural and social
climate of early 20th-century New Zealand, Arndt's art practice fragmented to include still life
and landscape, genres which she paid little attention to while studying abroad. She married in
1917 and moved to remote Motueka and her later work illustrates some of the artistic isolation
she faced there. Compromising much of her early professional ambition, Arndt became the
kind of woman artist this country was willing to accommodate.
By employing a feminist mode of enquiry, this account of Arndt's life aims to contribute to a more inclusive history of New Zealand's complex cultural history and artistic heritage.
|
|---|
