Then when he realised people were fundraising to keep The Whanganui series together, he said, “I really didn’t paint them to sell them, I painted them as a collection piece and I’m giving them all to you.”
MacDiarmid, who was known for his use of colour and eclectic style of painting, was multi-talented and curious about life. He had an unusual upbringing for the time and place he lived in, learning about the world from his parents’ collection of books and paintings. He loved variety, was fascinated by Egypt and other ancient civilisations, and trawled through his doctor father’s anatomy books to learn about physiology. He played the piano from the age of 4 and always drew.
Cahill says from an early age he sensed he was different.
“He perceived things differently and later he came to understand that he was bisexual. But in those days he just realised he was different and that it was something he shouldn’t talk about. As a result of that and anguish over his love affair with Douglas Lilburn, he did leave [New Zealand] but he also wanted to go out and devour the world.”
In Christchurch where he studied humanities and music at university, MacDiarmid gravitated towards The Group, a collection of avant-garde artists including Colin McCahon, Doris Lusk, Toss Woollaston and Rita Angus who became his mentor. He painted prolifically, asserting that he had no style and in fact resisted being categorised, although he did concede the term “expressionist”.
“He said why would I paint the same way today a different subject as I painted yesterday. He painted anything and everything as it spoke to him and he liked to dig down and find the rhythm of things.”
After the war, MacDiarmid went to Paris in 1946, deciding to paint rather than write or be a concert pianist.
“He wanted to be somewhere where there was a sense of history until the dawn of time. New Zealand wasn’t doing that for him. [Then] through the poverty-stricken years [in Paris] he did the classic starving in an attic while he was establishing himself. In winter it was so cold icicles formed; in summer it was so hot he was dripping wet,” Cahill said.
MacDiarmid did thousands of paintings, she believes, and his works are held all over the world in public and private collections. He made many friends in Paris and was sought after for social occasions.
“[Douglas] was very charming, very erudite and a great conversationalist. He used to collect friends like precious stones, he didn’t believe in religion, friendship was his religion, he was very loyal.”
MacDiarmid maintained strong links to New Zealand from his home in Paris, holding numerous solo exhibitions here between 1949 and 2018. Although he was at home in Europe, New Zealand subject matter remained a theme throughout his career.
Cahill has compiled a collection of letters and poems exchanged between MacDiarmid and Lilburn. The centenary will also be marked by the release of the book Letters to Lilburn – Douglas MacDiarmid’s Conversations from the Heart, both in Wellington and Auckland.
Collection Focus: Douglas MacDiarmid is on at Sarjeant on the Quay until December 11.
