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View on the South side of Moorea, south side


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Abstract

A volcanic island landscape, showing shorelines, vegetation, buildings, small boats, and human figures.

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Drawing; watercolour development sold to FitzRoy R d1836.01.28; reproduced facing Narrative 2: 517. "Page 517 Vol 2." [top left corner]; [top centre left, tick]; [top centre to centre right] "Moua roa or High Mountain."; [bottom left corner] "Painted for Capt F" FitzRoy


The sky is filled in the centre with cumulus and cumulo-cirrus clouds; the sun is shining from the left perpendicular to the line of sight. From the centre to the right a bank of cumulo-nimbus hangs over an unevenly level but jagged mountain top which forms the horizon line. It shows indications of vertical upper faces but none of vegetation. The ridge-line falls abruptly into the centre of the picture, then more gently to disappear behind another ridge-line belonging to a closer verdant hillside, behind which an abruptly conical rock rises to the same visual height as the horizon line. The closer verdant hillside falls away rightwards to form a saddle in the right centre. In the centre left, its ridge-line is flatter, but then rises steeply to form a rocky hilltop in the left of the picture. All the lower slopes descend diagonally rightwards, and show indications of shrubby ground cover, with a very few groups of taller palms protruding. To the right a conical hill rises from the saddle in the centre right, but not high enough to reach the horizon. All these surfaces slope in the midground down to a shoreline running across the whole picture, heavily lined with clusters of palm trees, interspersed with some low shrubby vegetation; the shoreline is more distant towards the right-hand edge of the picture. Some single-storey buildings are indicated just left of centre, in the centre right, and at the right-hand edge. In the centre right there is a small canoe facing right, with a human figure standing gondolier-like in the stern, and another reclining figure or some cargo towards the prow. The water is calm, and is heavily shadowed along the whole shoreline; the annotation at the base reads: "--tatiri".

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