27th Mar, 2017 15:00
Historic, Modern & Contemporary Art
117
Jacobus Hendrik Pierneef (South Africa 1886-1957)
Vrystaat reën
oil on canvas
Artwork date: 1943
Signature details: signed and dated
Sold for R2,046,240
Estimated at R500,000 - R800,000
oil on canvas
Artwork date: 1943
Signature details: signed and dated
(1)
43.5 x 59 cm
Gifted to the current owner from Mrs. S. Scheepers who worked at E. Schweikerdt, Pretoria
Notes:
By 1943, the year Vrystaat Reën was painted, Pierneef had established himself as the master of the Southern African landscape. He had been lauded for his 32 panels depicting the South African landscape for the Johannesburg Railway Station, a task completed in 1932. In 1933 he was commissioned to paint murals for South Africa House in London, and in 1936 he was awarded the Medal of Honour for Painting by the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns. In 1943 Pierneef revisited locations to the north of Pretoria – the Waterberg, Thabazimbi and Hammaskraal, as well as the southern Free State.Compared to the detailed depictions of majestic mountain ranges of the eastern parts of the Free State this is a minimal landscape, a slither of a landscape filling a mere seventh of the canvas. Directly above the foreground of veld, rendered in shades of muted savannah, is the horizon — a thin band with a koppie, some trees, a taller poplar and to the left a single blue gum. No homestead or any indication of ownership is captured in this portrayal of an empty landscape; dwarfed and dramatised by a cloud-banked sky.As the title indicates the vast sky with layers of flat-bottomed cumulus clouds, billowing a crisp white where they catch direct sunlight, is the focus. And more specifically, the downpour to the left of the canvas, is what might be called the “He Rain”, as the San referred to a strong shower of vertical rain soaking the earth.In its beguiling simplicity, Vrystaat Reën reveals Pierneef’s emphasis on structure, design and organisation of the landscape. Layered horizontally the cloud formations not only amplify the flatness of the landscape but also reiterate what Coetzee (1992:25) labels “an invitation, a reassurance and a promise”.
Johan Myburg
Sources:
Coetzee, NJ. (1992). Land and Landscape: The Johannesburg Station Panels in Context. Johannesburg: Johannesburg Art Gallery.
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Auction: Historic, Modern & Contemporary Art, 27th Mar, 2017
The Inaugural Cape Auction offed a diverse range of top-quality historic, modern and contemporary works. With a focus on critically engaged art and a curated approach, seasoned and new collectors competed to acquire significant works.
Aspire’s commitment to the growth of the art market saw international records broken in recognition of exiled South African artists. Louis Maqhubela’s Exiled King, a definitive, politically motivated work, sold for R341,040 - three times his previous record, and Albert Adams’ Untitled (Four Figures with Pitchforks), his first appearance at auction, sold for R136,416. Top prices were also achieved for established artists including J.H Pierneef, William Kentridge, and Edoardo Villa, and contemporary artwork fared exceptionally with record prices for David Brown, Steven Cohen, Mohau Modisakeng, Moshekwa Langa, and Mikhael Subotzky.
Viewing
Friday 24 March 2017 | 10 am – 7 pm
Saturday 25 March 2017 | 10 am – 5 pm
Sunday 26 March 2017 | 10 am – 4 pm
HIGHLIGHTS
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