I find this work very atmospheric with mountains looming in the background, a stormy ocean and emigrants preparing to travel to a country on the other side of the world, far away. Their dark clothing, the misty background and the way the people stare out at the viewer create a spooky feeling. Originally I thought these were settlers who had just arrived in New Zealand with all their belongings but after reading the information on the Te Papa website I now know that this is the family about to leave and the artist has taken the liberty of setting the painting in Scotland whereas the ship they travelled to New Zealand on left from Plymouth.
This painting shows James Mackay, his wife, six children and two nephews on the shores of their Scottish Highland home. There is a triangular composition with James Mackay at the top of the triangle and his family spread out in front of him - forming the rest of the triangle. Looking closely at it there is lots of fine detail in the clothing, animals and faces of the people. According to the Te Papa website:
“The family pictured commissioned the English artist William Allsworth to make this painting in 1844 to commemorate their emigration... or so the usual story goes. In fact, it seems that this painting is not a faithful record of their departure, but rather the family’s attempt to build a mythical history for themselves.”
This artwork is currently exhibited on a big red wall crammed with paintings (see my photos below).
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The photo (above) shows the 2018 version of myself standing in front of the wall of paintings on the 25 March 2018. They are still displayed on Level 6 in the same way.
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