'Imaginary Truth or Truthful Imagery': the artistic integrity of early images of

Join Patricia Wallace, a Maori academic, as she discusses her paper on:
'Imaginary Truth or Truthful Imagery: the artistic integrity of early images of Maori dress'

Art historians have long held a monopoly in determining perceptions of art. Their academic perspective has allowed perceived aesthetic values to subsume alternative analyses. Scholarly interpretations of early European images in the Pacific have critiqued the portrayal of Maori appearance and dress for inadequately appropriate physiognomy, and for apparent classical influence. To date, this art historical emphasis has effectively suggested that the artists' observations are capricious, thus obscuring the information their works contained.

However, when studies and working drawings of these early artists are examined from an ethnological perspective they reveal a wealth of data, which has not previously been analysed. It is argued that textual and tactile evidence from contemporary journals and museum collections can substantiate certain of this data. The aggregation of these sources makes a significant contribution to the recovery of our history, and offers future challenges.

This paper examines examples of work produced over a period of 135 years by four artists of diverse credentials and nationalities, namely Gilsemans, Parkinson, Hodges and Webber. The application of an interdisciplinary approach to a comparative analysis of their work not only challenges present-day understanding of traditional Maori dress, but also validates the integrity of these specific artists.