16th Nov, 2023 18:00
20th Century & Contemporary Art
44
Erik Laubscher (South Africa 1927-2013)
Solitaire
ink, wash and pastel on paper
Artwork date: 1950
Signature details: signed and dated bottom left
ink, wash and pastel on paper
Artwork date: 1950
Signature details: signed and dated bottom left
(1)
100 x 73 cm; framed size: 114 x 89 x 5.5 cm
Provenance:
Released by the Erik Laubscher Estate for acquisition.
The artist’s personal collection and thence by descent, Cape Town.
ABOUT THE ARTWORK
Erik Laubscher arrived in Paris to continue his art studies in 1950. At the Académie de Montmartre, a shift in his work can be seen. His earlier London-period paintings were dominated by expressive black construction lines, evoking the work of Bernard Buffet, while Paris saw him create work saturated in colour, making use of the optical-physiological perspective common in the work of Paul Cézanne. This encouraged viewers to approach his work from a variety of vantage points.
In this large drawing, the table top is tilted at an extreme angle, the female subject is seated comfortably in a high-back chair. The sitter is the artist Claude Bouscharain, whom Laubscher met in Paris when she also studied at the Academie. She is rendered here with an elegant swept-back hairstyle and her striking facial features are recognisable. The similarity in the availability of objects in this composition draws a strong comparison to other still-life works from the same year like Still Life with Iron and Fruit (1950) and Still Life with Green Apples (1950) for example. The playing cards on the table in front of the female subject, although blank, hint at a game for one. Hung on the back wall of the interior is a still-life painting, recognisable from Laubscher’s days as a student at the Anglo-French Art Centre. The angular form of the jug, as well as cherries and apples, made appearances in his other Paris still-life works too.
Phillippa Duncan
LEFT: Erik Laubscher, Still Life with Iron and Fruit, 1950.
RIGHT: Erik Laubscher, Still Life with Green Apples, 1950
COLLECTIONS
The artist is represented in numerous local collections, notably, Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town; Javett Art Centre, Pretoria; South African Constitutional Court, Johannesburg and the Rupert Museum, Stellenbosch.
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Auction: 20th Century & Contemporary Art, 16th Nov, 2023
HIGHLIGHTS
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