The Passing of the Forest

‘Although New Zealand was the last sizeable habitable landmass to be settled by humans ... the impact on its native forest has been little short of dramatic.’ Cultural and art historian Richard Wolfe curates this highly illustrated artbook that profiles the devastation of our original forest as it was recorded by painters from the nineteenth century to the present day. Beautiful colour reproductions draw on historical and recent art by Pakeha and Māori artists, with reference to their contemporaries in Australia, reflections on the widespread burning and felling of forest, disdain for native bush, and attempts to protect and restore our environment in an era of climate change.