Story: Limestone country

‘Rain in the Paradise Garden, Takaka’

‘Rain in the Paradise Garden, Takaka’

Christchurch artist Leo Bensemann painted this Golden Bay landscape in 1979. Descended from German immigrants at Moutere, Bensemann was born in Tākaka in 1912. He went to primary school in the town, and his family moved to Nelson in the early 1920s. Later, the landscape of his childhood became a theme in his paintings. He was particularly drawn to the karst terrain of incised hills and karren features such as the fluted rocks in this painting.

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Christchurch Art Gallery - Te Puna o Waiwhetu
Oil painting by Leo Bensemann

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How to cite this page:

Paul Williams, 'Limestone country - Caves', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/artwork/12403/rain-in-the-paradise-garden-takaka (accessed 29 March 2024)

Story by Paul Williams, published 24 Sep 2007