31st Oct, 2016 20:00
Historic, Modern & Contemporary Art
22
Maggie Laubser (South Africa 1886-1973)
Portrait of a Woman with a Head Scarf
oil on board
Artwork date: 1920
Signature details: signed and dated
oil on board
Artwork date: 1920
Signature details: signed and dated
(1)
39 x 34 cm
Mr. A. Jacobson, Johannesburg.
Notes:
Although this portrait is dated 1920, the year Maggie Laubser returned to South Africa after living and working in 1919 and 1920 at Torri del Benaco and San Vigilio on the Garda Lake in northern Italy, this date has been rejected on the grounds of subject matter and the treatment of the formal elements (Marais 1994:210). Instead, this portrait is attributed to the years 1927-1932, the so-called Langebaan phase. The period under discussion corresponds with the time after Laubser has settled on Oortmanspost near Klipheuwel in the Western Cape in 1924 and ventured from 1927 onward to places such as Langebaan and Saldanha on the West Coast. In the Oortmanspost phase (1924-1928) a continuation of the expressiveness of the German period prevailed.
In contrast, a more natural rendering of the subject matter becomes apparent in the Langebaan phase. The application of paint tends to be smoother and the direction of the brushstrokes indicated the shape of the masses depicted (Marais 1994:175). As in Portrait of a Woman with a Head Scarf, portraits of ‘coloured’ people in the Langebaan phase show particular attention to the head as the centre of interest and to decorative features such as hair, knotted scarves and hats. According to Marais (1994:48) the use of colour emphasises the “colourful but impecunious environment to which these mortals belong”.
In Portrait of a Woman with a Head Scarf Laubser intensified expression by the plastic modelling of the face and by contrasting the browns of her complexion with the purples and pinks of her scarf and the pale blue hues of her dress. The facial expression, slightly preoccupied and with the eyes averted, contributes to the thoughtful atmosphere created in this portrait.
Maggie Laubser’s Mother and Child sold for R4 000 000 in 2006 and her Woman with a Blue Head Scarf, comparable in subject to the present lot, sold in 2008 for R2 200 000 on the hammer.
Johan Myburg
Sources:
Marais, D. (1994). Maggie Laubser: Her Paintings, Drawings and Graphics. Johannesburg and Cape Town: Perskor. Illustrated on page 210, catalogue number 684.
PROVENANCE:
Mr A Jacobson, Johannesburg
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Auction: Historic, Modern & Contemporary Art, 31st Oct, 2016
The line-up for our inaugural sale included an extraordinary selection of art. Works ranged from JH Pierneef’s breathtaking Karoo near Hofmeyer, painted in 1930, to Dan Halter’s 2006, ultraviolet light, Pefection.
Sculptures varied from Edoardo Villa’s acknowledgment of French artist, Aristide Maillol to Wim Botha’s heads that draw on classical and contemporary sources and Ed Young’s cheeky nude self-portrait. Also included were impressive photographs by award-winners, David Goldblatt and Pieter Hugo.
The auction set an impressive standard, with an outstanding sell-through rate of over 75% across 121 lots. The top lot of the sale was Alexis Preller’s exceptional Profile Figures (Mirrored Image), selling for over R7-million. Record sales were achieved for Villa, Goldblatt, and Hugo, amongst others.
Viewing
Friday 28 October 2016 | 10 am – 5 pm
Saturday 28 October 2016 | 10 am – 5 pm
Sunday 28 October 2016 | 10 am – 4 pm
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