Don Binney: Flight Path

One of the joys of reviewing is that every so often a book comes along that is elegantly written, persuasively argued and beautifully produced. The result is something special that is both wonderful to look at and a joy to read. Congratulations, then, to editor Sam Elworthy and his team, especially book designer Keely O’Shannessy; I have never reviewed anything quite so visually stunning as Don Binney: Flight Path. Gregory O’Brien’s balanced and insightful text is illustrated on every few pages by high quality reproductions of this talented artist’s paintings. Most readers would expect many images of birds, given Binney’s earlier paintings, but he also painted landscapes in New Zealand and other parts of the globe, including Mexico, Africa, Britain and Australia. Binney was skilled too at painting still lifes, creating spectacular montages and occasionally venturing into challenging surreal images of human forms. Despite Binney’s somewhat flamboyant personality and occasional carping about trends in the broader New Zealand art scene, O’Brien confirms that he was an effective environmentalist with genuine sympathy for, and understanding of, the Māori view of nature and spirituality.