Army appoints Gauldie as its official artist

Matt Gauldie with The Vigil, which captures the return of the Unknown Warrior. Picture / NZPA

Wellington artist Matt Gauldie has been named as the official Army artist on the strength of his work in capturing the return of the Unknown Warrior on canvas.

The announcement came as Prime Minister Helen Clark unveiled Gauldie's oil painting, The Vigil, which portrays the warrior's casket as it lay in state at Parliament in November last year.

It is the centrepiece of seven paintings, completed after Gauldie, 28, went to France with the Defence Force last year to bring the warrior home. Gauldie was silent on the content of the other six paintings, which will be unveiled next week in Wellington.

The finished series will take up about 10m of wall space, he said.

It is not known where the series will be permanently housed, but they will be exhibited around the country.

Helen Clark said Gauldie's warrior oils "take us back, really, to [the late] Peter McIntyre and his war paintings".

McIntyre, the New Zealand Division's official artist, sketched and painted the highs and lows of the New Zealand soldiers during World War II.

Gauldie said he was thrilled at his new job, but was keen to play down comparisons with McIntyre. "I don't want to copy his work," he said.

But he has not ruled out representative painting of old conflicts, possibly even Gallipoli.

Meanwhile, he was eagerly awaiting his first "deployment" as official Army artist, a position that is understood to come with honorary officer status.

Gauldie's great-grandfather fought on the Somme in World War 1 and that family connection prompted him "to do the best I could" with his warrior series, he said.