2001 Garden of Delights

A series of gigantic nudes, or “seated figures” as they are often referred to, was part of Dibble’s oeuvre, dating from 1998. The idea for these works drew from reference to the large nudes painted in the 1940s by Picasso (who showed an interest in art from non-Western sources, like the masks of Africa or the features of Pacific women), and in part from a referral to the etchings of Goya in his series illustrating the atrocities of war. Many of the early studies were made as models, of which several were scaled up to become large works.

The seated figures are monumental, not just large but with full solid forms.  They sit atop a pedestal in a posture suggestive of isolation, contemplation, and serenity as if gentle giants viewing the land before them. Their presence seems to act as if guardians of a site, but likewise they give the atmosphere of someone pondering or watching some distant scene or landscape.

With Garden of Delights, as with many other works in the series, Dibble questions New Zealand’s position in the world. He uses the analogy of a paradisial garden, as plentiful provider of bounty. Purchased by Moore Wilson’s and located outside their establishment in Masterton, the figure’s outstretched arm holds an apple, as if offering it to some invisible companion.