Austen Deans (New Zealand), Mt. Peel & Rangitata, Oil On Board

A beautiful oil on board depicting the Rangitata River with Mount Peel in the distance, Canterbury region of New Zealand.

 

Painted in a soft palette with bold brush strokes this is a classic example of this popular artist's work.

 

Alister Austen Deans OBE (1915 – 2011) was a New Zealand painter known for his landscapes and for his work as a war artist in the Second World War.

 

Born in Christchurch to a well-known farming family, Deans became interested in art in his teenage years. He studied fine arts at the Canterbury College School of Art before returning to the family farm for work.

 

He volunteered for the 2nd New Zealand Expeditionary Force on the outbreak of the Second World War. In 1941 he was appointed an assistant war artist serving under Peter McIntyre. However, he was wounded during the Battle of Crete and became a prisoner of war. He was allowed to paint during his captivity and these works provided a record of life as a POW.

 

After the war, Deans studied painting at the Sir John Cass Technical Institute in England before returning to Canterbury, NZ. He was a prolific painter of the Canterbury hill country.

 

Made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in 1995, he died in October 2011.

 

Mount Peel is a mountain located in South Canterbury, New Zealand. It consists of three peaks, Mount Peel (5719 feet), Middle Mt Peel and Little Mt Peel. Mt Peel is owned by the Department of Conservation and Mt Peel Station. It lies just south of the Rangitata river and is 14 miles north-west of the town of Geraldine which is 87 miles south of Christchurch. The Peel Forest Park Scenic Reserve is the largest in the Geraldine area, covering 769 hectares (1,900 acres) around Little Mount Peel.