Style Counts More Than Subject Matter

Te Ao Hou, March 1964, Page 26

Style Counts More Than Subject Matter Muru does not believe that the subject matter is the main criterion in painting. ‘It is the actual execution that counts, how much the artist can inject of his own original thought. For example, we don't remember Van Gogh

for his ability to draw so much as for his unusual and highly original technique.’ Muru bases his philosophy of painting on that of Pablo Picasso—‘I do not seek but I find’. At times, he says, some images seem to appear of their own accord on the canvas. ‘Then, you have a feeling of surprise at what you've done. But in fact, all these images spring from your own personal experience, things you have seen and done in your life. I remember, for instance, the dead fish and seaweed washed up on beaches around Parengarenga Harbour, and have used these in recent paintings.’ Art, he says, must develop naturally. The important things is to be honest—if an artist is sincere about what he is doing, without being influenced too much by contemporary fashions, then he has nothing to worry about. Speaking of traditional Maori art, he says, ‘I feel the old masters have done an excellent job; therefore there's no point in trying to better what they did. But the creative avenues leading from traditional Maori art are still open for the artist to explore.’