PROVENANCE
Private Collection, Wellington since 1989

Red Carpet is a fine example of Peter Siddell's work in which a cross-section of urban Auckland has been once again brilliantly reimagined through his unique lens of perspectival linearity and crystal clarity of subject matter

It is difficult to articulate the transcendence of space and time which pervades this work. Through his mastery of the medium of oil painting, Siddell instilled in his work a sharpness comparable to that found in Northern Renaissance art - that is, an egalitarian approach to space and perspective which means that even the minutest of details in the work's background retain the luminosity of those in the foreground. The result is that the work is hyper-real; larger than life

The charm of Red Carpet can be partially attributed to the tension which Siddell as an artist has successfully navigated herein. The scene has been presented in such a wholly convincing and detailed manner that, on one hand, it seems impossible that it would be accomplishing anything other than holding a mirror to an aspect of the Auckland cityscape as it exists in reality. At the same time, the work's highly-polished and detailed finish instils it with an otherworldliness and fictitious aura - there is something both alluring and unsettling about the depiction of New Zealand's most populous city, bearing all the external trappings of civilization, without human presence

The work's titular red carpet brings focus to the scene, and further enhances the sense of theatricality of Siddell's work. As works of immense cultural and artistic merit within the fabric of New Zealand's modern artistic narrative, Siddell's paintings are highly sought-after by New Zealand collectors and institutions alike; being such a fine example from the artist's oeuvre, Red Carpet will prove no exception to this