Kennett Watkins 1847–1933
Kennett Watkins was born in India
and he emigrated from Europe in 1873. He had formal art training in France and
Switzerland. Initially he made his living in New Zealand as a photographer but
also as an art teacher. He was Principal
of the Auckland Free School of Art 1879–96 and taught at both Auckland Grammar
School and Auckland Girls Grammar School from 1882 to 1914 respectively.
Watkins is most well-known for
his representation of the Waka Wairua that was sighted on Lake Rotomahama a few
days before the eruption of Mt. Tarawera. The sighting was considered a premonition
of an impending natural extreme phenomenon or catastrophe by local Tangata Whenua.
Earthquakes leading up to the eruption and the fluctuation of lake levels were
also precursory and observed by many but all warnings were ignored.
Guide Sophia Hinerangi, renowned
for her knowledge and experience of the lakes and their terrain regularly
guided visitors to the Pink and White Terraces by boat. On the day of the
sighting of the Waka Wairua she and her passengers both Maori and Pakeha wrote
about the sighting that day and it is well documented.
Kennetts painting “The Phantom Canoe on Lake Tarawera” can
be found at the Auckland City Art Gallery. It is a spectacular rendition of the
eerie scene where the sighting of the waka is observed at night approaching the
towering Mount Tarawera which is enveloped by cloud and moonlight. The moon is
rising above the cone of the mountain as if itself a sign of impending doom and
the whole scene is enveloped by dark turbulent waters. It is a spectacular
scene an apparition and the warriors on board the Waka Wairua were said to have
the heads of dogs, they appeared as three and then up to thirteen and then to
few before returning to the depths of the lake.
These beautiful and expressive
watercolours of Watkins are a delight in their soft brush work and soft gentle
colours. What better way is there to depict soft light and steam than to paint
with watercolour as Watkins has done and like Blomfield, Watkins would have
almost certainly painted these works ‘plein air’ from observation on one of his
expeditions to the lakes and Terraces.
Watkins best known for this work
came to live in Ruatoria for several years to be close to his son and family
and this is why the Museum has this spectacular series of watercolours of Lake
Rotomahana and The Pink and White Terraces. He painted the works between 1873 and 1876 and they were gifted or
donated to the Museum.
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