Listing Details
Mervyn Taylor
1906 – 1964
Mervyn Taylor was born in Auckland in 1906. As a young child he suffered from polio which was to leave him with a limp for the rest of his life. He was interested in art but his parents felt he need a trade. He attended the 3rd form year at Auckland Grammar School and was then apprenticed as an engraver to W.H Worrall Jewellers.
Taylor moved to Wellington in 1935 and worked as a commercial artist prior to setting up his own studio. It was here he began to experiment with wood engraving. In 1942 he enlisted, serving as a draughtsman creating maps and also working with the Army Education and Welfare Service.
After the war Taylor became an art educator and illustrator for school publications at the Department of Education. For the illustrations he used wood engravings. He created over 200 wood-blocks, many devoted to New Zealand flora and fauna and other depicted scenes of Maori life and mythology.
Taylor, alongside others, including Russell Clark, was part of the nationalist movement in New Zealand art, which sought to capture the strong qualities of our culture and landscape.
His works were exhibited internationally from the Soviet Union to the United States. They remain highly collectable.
Image Dimensions: 105mm W x 62mm H
Framing: Framed
Framed Dimensions: 295mm W x 285mm H
