Leapaway girlJulian A. Scott · 1969

Identification of Leapaway Girl by Ian Scott

We find ourselves before Leapaway girl, a significant work by Ian Scott. This oil painting, executed in 1969, captures a specific moment in the evolution of New Zealand's visual language. It is an oil on canvas, a choice that allows for the layered, textured surfaces characteristic of the artist's approach during this period.

The piece is currently part of the permanent collection at the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa in Wellington, New Zealand. It arrived there in 1971, having been purchased from the Wellington City Council Picture Purchase Fund. This provenance links the work directly to the institutional efforts to preserve the country's mid-century artistic developments.

Visual Composition and Subject Matter

The composition centers on a woman captured mid-leap, her arms outstretched against the sky. She wears a green dress, suspended in the air as she clears another figure lying on the ground below. This central movement occurs within an outdoor setting, where the landscape suggests the openness of a field or perhaps the edge of a beach. In the background, the forms of trees and grass provide a sense of place, grounding the more kinetic energy of the figures.

There is a certain scattered quality to the arrangement of people within the scene. While the leaping woman and the reclining figure command immediate attention, several other individuals are placed throughout the environment, some appearing more prominent than others. Near the center of the image, an umbrella sits amidst the figures, adding a quiet, domestic detail to the otherwise active tableau. The arrangement of these elements creates a tension between the spontaneous motion of the jump and the stillness of the surrounding landscape.

Physical Dimensions and Materials

This work is executed in oil paint on canvas, a medium that allows for the meticulous layering of color seen throughout the composition. The texture of the paint is applied to create a surface that invites a closer look at the interplay of light and form. The physical presence of the piece is substantial, commanding attention through its scale and the weight of its materials.

The canvas itself measures 1515mm in width and 1725mm in height. When housed within its frame, the total dimensions increase slightly to 1542mm in width and 1745mm in height. The frame provides a structured boundary for the scene, extending 57mm in depth from the surface of the work.

Documented Interpretations and Debates

The origins of the figures within this work are quite specific, drawing from the aesthetic language of Vogue rather than the more provocative imagery found in men's magazines of the era. This distinction is important when considering how the piece was received. While some contemporary viewers dismissed the work as a mere purveyor of tawdry glamour, others found a much deeper, more empathetic layer beneath the surface. There is a suggestion that these paintings reflect a profound sympathy for women, portraying them as figures caught within a world constructed of male fantasies made tangible.

The work has also been viewed through the lens of regional shifts in New Zealand art. It has been described as a form of lolly-coloured Pop Art, a playful reimagining of the regional realist traditions established by other prominent artists of the time. By replacing the native birds of the landscape with these stylized, fashion-magazine figures, the work engages in a witty, perhaps even ironic, dialogue with the established local canon.