Fine Art Auction Part I Saturday, 14 November 2026 / 11:00 am start
Petrus Van der Velden - ‘Xmas Eve’, Charcoal on Paper, 1911
Current Bid $70 (14 bids, reserve not met)
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Lot Details
Petrus Van der Velden (1837 - 1913) Xmas Eve (1911) Charcoal on Paper Signed, titled & dated front lower left 390 x 520mm Provenance: Private collection, Christchurch Condition: Good For Petrus van der Velden, art, music, and spirituality were deeply interconnected expressions of a single divine truth. He famously distilled this philosophy into a guiding principle for his students: “Colour is Light, Light is Love, Love is God, and when you understand this, you are an artist”. Throughout his career, van der Velden constantly returned to the world of music, viewing it as a profound vessel for bringing humanity closer to the divine. This deep auditory and spiritual connection transformed how he viewed the earth; to his eyes, rugged landscapes with raging streams, most notably captured in his revered Otira Gorge series, were not merely scenery, but an unadulterated, visual symphony conducted by God. This evocative work beautifully captures that intersection of sound, light, and spirit. Emerging from the shadows, a motherly figure and child peer around a dimly lit corner, transfixed by a musician who seems to be weaving light out of sound. In later adaptations of this composition, the motherly figure shifts from an earthly observer into a musical muse or spiritual guide, actively leading the child out of the darkness and into a realm of illumination. Through these moody, atmospheric scenes, van der Velden does more than just paint a performance. Moreover, he uses the work to guide us out of spiritual obscurity and into a closer relationship with the ultimate giver of light.
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