Risen Catalogue - Monnow Valley Arts Centre

3Roy De Maistre(1894–1968)Noli me tangere 1952–8Oil on board, 95 × 67 cmSignedDe Maistre is an important figure in the twentieth-century arthistory of his native Australia, and also in Britain (he lived inEngland from 1938 until his death in 1968). Initially asinterested in music as in art (he studied both), some of his earlywork was concerned with the relationship between music andart and he developed an interest in colour which has beencompared to a musical approach and which continued toinform his work throughout his life. He developed a verypersonal style, combining elements from cubism and traditionalrealism and can be regarded as one of the century’s majorreligious artists, successfully tackling the difficult task ofpainting religious works which are contemporary in idiom butwhich can stand alongside the masterpieces of the past, that socolour and influence our expectations.A practising Roman Catholic, de Maistre commented, in aninterview in The Times in 1959, that ‘religion is not merely asubject for a painting but a perpetual reality which haspreoccupied me ever since I remember and is inseparable for mefrom every other thought’.The figure of Jesus, facing us, towers over the kneeling MaryMagdalene, who has her back towards us. It is still early in themorning and the sky is red with sunrise. The warm red-browncolour of both the landscape and Mary contrasts with the coolblues, white and greys of Jesus and the rocky garden. The mouthof the tomb, in a reddish stone or brick, is visible on the left, withmarks that can be read as ‘LO’. In addition to this painting, thereare two or three other versions of ‘Noli me tangere’, the largestand earliest dating from 1950–1, painted for the Arts Council’sFestival of Britain exhibition ‘60 Painters for 51’, with the others(as well as the Methodist work) being much smaller.8