James Nairn was a Glasgow born painter who strongly influenced New Zealand painting during the late 19th Century. He specialized in a style called ‘En Plein Air’, otherwise known as the act of ‘Painting outdoors’.
- Nairn specialized in a naturalist-realist style and his interest in the effects of light is prominent throughout ‘Winter Morning, Wellington Harbour’. Wellington’s Harbour acted as a perfect subject for his style. The natural beauty of the surrounding ocean and the distant ships fading off into the clouds provided more than enough inspiration for him to work with.
- Nairn’s work acted as an influence for other New Zealand artists. His ability to utilize New Zealand’s natural beauty in such an elegant way on canvas lead him to becoming a council member of the NZ Academy of Fine Arts.
- Nairn’s main choice of work tools included oils, watercolours, pastels and charcoal. ‘Winter Morning, Wellington Harbour’ is a captivating look into how Nairn used these elements to capture different natural components, such as the sea and sky, in a realistic, yet still impressionistic manner.
- His passion for painting outdoors meant he was exposed to all sorts of weather conditions. This practice ultimately led to his death in 1904 after he caught a cold and passed away from illness.
Please note that the turnaround time for Museum Collection Prints/Mātātuhi mai i kohinga o Te Papa is 5 to 10 business days