Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Redeemer

Is this a lookalike or someone channeling McCahon from beyond the grave? Whatever, the style of Caltex’s giveaway promotion at the very least strongly echoes the proposal drawings McCahon made for a mural for Caltex. It was 1963 and Caltex was moving its head office in Auckland’s Fanshaw Street. A mural was called for. McCahon's design was not accepted, apparently because a name change was in the offing. In fact that didn’t happen for another three years and only affected the corporate name changing to Caltex Petroleum Corp. 
Images: Top, Caltex campaign and bottom, McCahon Caltex painting reproduced in the Les and Milly Paris auction catalogue. Also showing as a bonus is Milan Mrkusich’s Golden passive element. (Thanks S. Thanks again, that cap is on its way… really.)