Shared Visions: Katherine Mansfield and James Nairn in New Zealand Landscape

Vicki Hearnshaw; Mark Stocker

doi:10.26686/jnzs.iNS41.11043

Authors

Vicki Hearnshaw Canterbury University
Mark Stocker Canterbury University

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.26686/jnzs.iNS41.11043

Abstract

This article explores the shared visions of the New Zealand-born short-story writer Katherine Mansfield and the Scottish-born painter James Nairn, and their portrayal of the New Zealand landscape, notably Wellington and its harbour. Examining selected stories by Mansfield and paintings by Nairn, the article demonstrates their commitment to capturing the essence of their environment and their local surroundings. In particular, it examines their mutual sensitivity to light and atmosphere at a specific historical moment: the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A further link between them is the likelihood of Nairn having inspired the artist-narrator in Mansfield’s short story “Daphne” (1921). The article highlights how their unique but complementary approaches have enriched our understanding of aspects of New Zealand’s cultural and artistic heritage.

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Author Biography

Vicki Hearnshaw, Canterbury University

This article explores the shared visions of the New Zealand-born short-story writer Katherine Mansfield and the Scottish-born painter James Nairn, and their portrayal of the New Zealand landscape, notably Wellington and its harbour. Examining selected stories by Mansfield and paintings by Nairn, the article demonstrates their commitment to capturing the essence of their environment and their local surroundings. In particular, it examines their mutual sensitivity to light and atmosphere at a specific historical moment: the turn of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. A further link between them is the likelihood of Nairn having inspired the artist-narrator in Mansfield’s short story “Daphne” (1921). The article highlights how their unique but complementary approaches have enriched our understanding of aspects of New Zealand’s cultural and artistic heritage.