Vladimir Tretchikoff (South Africa 1913-2006)
Pink Magnolias

oil on canvas

Signature details: signed bottom left
Exchange Rates*: USD 47 994 – 71 991
GBP 35 977 – 53 966
EURO 41 337 – 62 005

(1)

114 x 58 cm; framed size: 123 x 66.5 x 6 cm

Provenance:

Private collection of Dr Bruce Hoffman, Cape Town.

Stephan Welz & Co., Cape Town, Auction of Fine Art & Design, 1 March 2016, Lot 563.

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

In 1917, at just 16, Vladimir Tretchikoff found himself in Shanghai, China, after his family fled Siberia in the wake of the Russian Revolution. The artist would go on to live in Harbin, Singapore, Indonesia, and Java, spending some of his most formative years, both as a person and as an artist, in Asia.

As a result, Tretchikoff developed a lasting affinity for the Asian continent, which he later carried with him to South Africa and sustained throughout his career. From this experience emerged what Ashraf Jamal has termed “Tretchikoff’s Orient”[1]: a visual language shaped by admiration, stylisation, and a sustained fascination with people and objects beyond his immediate context. In this still life, that sensibility is distilled into a carefully composed arrangement in which decorative and symbolic elements converge, with the inclusion of the vase clearly signalling this enduring affinity for the East.

Set against a warm, atmospheric ground that almost melts into the polished tabletop, the vase anchors the composition with a steady presence. Its dark surface is animated by intricate, swirling patterns in jewel-like tones, each curve catching the light and drawing the eye across its rounded form. The polychrome motifs appear to draw on East Asian ceramic traditions, most closely resembling cloisonné ware associated with Chinese craftsmanship. From its narrow neck, magnolia branches rise and unfurl, their petals softly iridescent and shifting between pink, cream, and pale blue. There is a delicacy to their articulation; each bloom hovers in a moment of suspended stillness, as though the magnolia is holding its breath, about to open further and let its petals fall in a soft exhale. The magnolia, recurring in Tretchikoff’s work as a motif of beauty and refinement, becomes central to the composition here. The table softly reflects both elements, reinforcing a sense of balance and stillness, while heightened colour and precise patterning bring the scene into perfect equilibrium.

^{[1] Lamprecht, A. (2001). Tretchikoff: The People's Painter, Johannesburg: Jonathan Ball Publishers, p.54.}

COLLECTIONS:

The artist is represented in numerous local and international collections, notably, the; Rupert Museum, Stellenbosch; Delaire Graff Estate, Stellenbosch; Oyster Box Hotel, Durban and Browns Jewellers, Johannesburg.