New book celebrates leading artist

Mervyn Williams From Modernism to the Digital Age is the ninth in a series of books by Ron Sang Publications featuring major New Zealand artists.

The colourful monograph features a selection of artworks from Williams’ prolific 50-year career.

Three of Williams’ works are in Hamilton.

Untitled (1983), in the collection of the James Wallace Arts Trust, is on loan to Wise Group at Kakariki House on Grey St.

Waikato Museum holds Horus Series X (1980) and Untitled (1969).

In editing the book, Hanfling was conscious of Sang’s preference for “picture books”.

“Ron wanted it to be a visual spectacle, rather than pages and pages of text that is going to be off-putting to people, and originally I did write a longer text for this book, but we just pared it right back and I think that was actually to the benefit of the text,” says Hanfling, who teaches in the School of Media Arts at Wintec, Hamilton.

The process of selecting the works for inclusion in the book was a three-year collaboration between artist, editor and publisher.

“Rounding up photographs of works that were made 50 years ago is not what I do in my everyday life.

“I spend my life in a studio working at paintings and sculpture, so it was a pain in the butt to tell you the truth!” says Williams from his Auckland studio.

“It did take more of my time than I wanted it to, but the result is meeting with such admiration and such a response that I have to say it was worth it.

“Samuel Hartnett did the photographs when there were new photographs to do, and he’s just a genius.

“The work is stunning,” says Williams.

The book covers Williams’ varied career including his well-known optical and illusionary phases, as well as wooden constructions and sculpture.

More recent artworks feature a combination of digital and traditional painting techniques.

Ron Sang Publications has launched eight art books to date.

The first in the series, on the potter Len Castle, won the 2003 Illustrative Category of the Montana Book Awards.