David Herkt reviews Ralph Hotere: The Dark is Light Enough, by Vincent O'Sullivan

The Dark is Light Enough - Ralph Hotere, a biographical portrait, by Vincent O'Sullivan.

"Evasion, shyness, self-defence, cunning," writes Vincent O'Sullivan. "The synonyms fit neatly together." This first extensive – and now controversial - examination of the life of New Zealand's premier late-20th century painter, Ralph Hotere, is a provocative revelation of a man who, despite his fame, remained enigmatic. "There are few things I can say about my work that are better than saying nothing," he once remarked.

From a childhood in the remote Hokianga settlement of Mitimiti, to London, the South of France and a long residence in Dunedin and Port Chalmers, O'Sullivan reveals the shape of Hotere's life. His biography of the painter, however, faced significant obstacles which saw it temporarily consigned to an archive box. The traces are still problematic.

Hotere had experienced a devastating stroke in 2001 but invited O'Sullivan to work on his biography in 2005. He signed a note, introducing O'Sullivan in this role: "If he asks for assistance, I would be grateful if you would help him please."

O'Sullivan had been given access to Hotere's papers and visited the artist with frequency. But gradually it became difficult for them to have private conversations and, in the end, impossible. Hotere's sisters could relay the message to "keep on with the book" but O'Sullivan eventually was not permitted to see or talk to the artist.

There was also no formal signed agreement to use any images of Hotere's work, which, after his death in 2013, came under the control of a trust which included the painter's widow, his third wife Mary MacFarlane, along with Dunedin QC Judith Ablett-Carr, her husband, and an accountant.

Finally, O'Sullivan's Ralph Hotere: The Dark is Light Enough, has finally been published – but without any illustration of Hotere's copyrighted artworks. The omission is saddening for both the painter's legacy and the reader.

Hotere was a small boy in a large close-knit family. Mitimiti was a spare landscape of huge white dunes, sea, and sky. Hotere was quiet and reserved. O'Sullivan describes a near-idyllic childhood completed by school in Auckland, then a time at Teacher's Training College, where Hotere was educated to be an art teacher.

O'Sullivan's narrative is fast-paced and engaging. He sketches characters with novelistic speed. The painter's time in London and the South of France is seen as seminal for his development. His return to New Zealand and the creation of a career was a harder task. O'Sullivan has conducted wide-ranging interviews, especially with Hotere's family and his peers, which consistently illuminate the book.

Hotere's decisions with regard to his often revolutionary art, however, are more veiled. He made few formal statements and submitted to fewer interviews. O'Sullivan undertakes to describe the major series of paintings and installations with the help of those involved in their creation, like the poet Bill Manhire. It is here, though, that the lack of illustration becomes more problematic.

O'Sullivan's glimpses of Hotere's politics, his enjoyment of golf, his fondness for women (and their fondness for him), and his single-mindedness with regard to his art all combine to create an effective "portrait". It is multi-faceted and makes no attempt to be final.

Ralph Hotere: The Dark is Light Enough is a first significant biographical step. There will be others – though one cannot imagine any in the foreseeable future. O'Sullivan should be congratulated for his achievement against all the odds.

Ralph Hotere: The Dark is Light Enough – A Biographical Portrait
by Vincent O'Sullivan
(Penguin, $45)