Sink the Rainbow Warrior!' (21) Reviewer: Georgina Barr
textures, along with the black backgrounds and the use of hessian on board, produces a rough and sinister side to the subjects depicted
'Sink the Rainbow Warrior!' by Rudolf Boelee is a thoughtful exhibition by an intelligent and insightful artist. Boldly coloured and subtly shaded faces hang on the walls of PaperGraphica. Some stare out into the middle distance and attempt at making a connection while others avoid eye contact and turn away. These seven acrylic portrait paintings - displaying those involved in the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior 21 years ago - are evenly placed around the warm main gallery and make a quiet, almost secretive atmosphere within the large room. All of the two large and five medium sized paintings have black backgrounds and each face is painted with white and only one other colour. In each work, the thick, block colour of the hair contrasts with the subtlety of soft tonal shading of the skin to create wonderful depth. The mix of
The thick textures are also a change from the smoothness of the artist's well-known screenprints. This fresh angle to art-making shows the artist is comfortable working in different styles, and he does so with clever ease. 'Sink the Rainbow Warrior!' is a great example of good art. Both the technique used to create the paintings and the artist's intension behind the work show thoughtful talent. According to a recent newspaper survey, the majority of New Zealanders are not concerned about terrorist actions (such as the recent train bombings in India) occurring here. The intension behind