12th Nov, 2017 17:00
Historic, Modern & Contemporary Art
21
Hugo Naudé (South Africa 1869-1941)
Hex River Valley
oil on canvas
Signature details: signed
oil on canvas
Signature details: signed
(1)
51.5 x 62 cm
Notes:
When Hugo Naudé returned to South Africa in 1896 after six years in Europe studying portraiture at the Slade School in London and at the Kunst Akademie in Munich, he started exploring the landscape of the Western Cape, for which he subsequently became famous. This new focus on landscape brought with it what Naudé referred to as his struggles with South African light and colour, after having been used to the fogginess and the soft scenery of Northern Europe. Eventually he managed to develop a technique that brought a spontaneous sparkle to his paintings, using what Meiring (nd:26) refers to as “an all-uniting fall of light on his landscape”.Hex River Valley is a celebration of light, not necessarily in warmth but in terms of Naude’s colour sensibility and the rich display of autumn colours – from the vegetation in the middle ground, rendered in russet with a reddish-orange tinge, to the central peak with swatches of ochre. The white gravel road as a focal point leads the eye into the water. The water becomes an impressionist meditation on a landscape frozen in time.This large format landscape – twice the size of the canvases he preferred on his painting expeditions to make handling and storage in his caravan easier – could well be proof of theories that Naudé established “Cape Impressionism” as a genre. However, Naudé did not consistently adhere to these theories – his approach was more intuitive than scientific.Naudé’s Hex River Valley is a painting of a tranquil landscape, reminiscent of a “mellow fruitfulness”, to autumn as “close bosom-friend of the maturing sun”, as John Keats wrote in his famous sonnet. The generous use of pigment and confident brushstrokes define this exceptional autumnal study.
Johan Myburg
Sources:
Meiring, AL. (nd). Hugo Naudé. Our Art. Pretoria: Lantern in collaboration with the South African Broadcasting Corporation.
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Auction: Historic, Modern & Contemporary Art, 12th Nov, 2017
Aspire’s final auction for 2017 ended the year on a high note with a collection of top historical, modern and contemporary artworks.
A number of superb historic paintings came to auction, dating back to the late nineteenth century. Among them were works by Hugo Naudé, Anton Van Wouw, and Dorothy Kay. A fine collection of mid-twentieth century modern work by South Africa’s best-known artists at auction including Edoardo Villa, Maggie Laubser, Sydney Kumalo and Irma Stern were also on offer. The top lot by value was, however, a contemporary work. A superb drawing by world-renowned South African artist William Kentridge. Drawing from Mine (Soho with coffee plunger and cup) (1991), sold for R5 456 640, a record for a drawing by Kentridge in South Africa.
Viewing
Thursday 9 November 2017 | 10 am – 5 pm
Friday 10 November 2017 | 10 am – 5 pm
Saturday 11 November 2017 | 10 am – 5 pm
Sunday 12 November 2017 | 10 am – 3 pm
HIGHLIGHTS
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