31st Oct, 2016 20:00
Historic, Modern & Contemporary Art
46
Johannes Meintjes (South Africa 1923-1980)
Landscape with Figures (Zeekoevlei)
oil on canvas
Artwork date: 1947
Signature details: signed and dated
Literature: Meintjes, J. (1972). Diary of Johannes Meintjes II, catalogue number 174.
Sold for R107,996
Estimated at R100,000 - R150,000
oil on canvas
Artwork date: 1947
Signature details: signed and dated
Literature: Meintjes, J. (1972). Diary of Johannes Meintjes II, catalogue number 174.
(1)
51 x 40 cm
Notes:
By the age of 24, when he painted this picture, Johannes Meintjes had published a monograph on the artist Maggie Laubser (1944), had his first exhibition in the Gainsborough Gallery in Johannesburg (1945), and studied and worked in London (1945-1947). His exhibitions caused a stir in Johannesburg and Cape Town and he became famous overnight. Toward the end of World War II he “was enjoying the kind of public adulation which was later reserved for youthful idols of the pop-music world” (Berman 1983:285). He returned to South Africa in 1947 after exploring works by Rembrandt, El Greco, the Flemish primitives, Henry Moore, Pablo Picasso and Graham Sutherland and his work, “while never obviously influenced, immediately displayed the salutary effects of a widened outlook, a broadened scope” (Marincowitz & Meintjes 1948). In Landscape with Figures (Zeekoevlei), indicative of Meintjes’ lyrical work of the time, the influence of Laubser still outweighs that of what he encountered on his European sojourn. In a landscape, energised by a curved horizon, three sailings boats and vivid shades of blue, green and red, two nude male figures in the foreground seem to capitulate to the language of dreams. In gestural brushstrokes Meintjes captures, on the one hand, their virility – the spine of the figure on the left echoing the shape of the wind in the sails – and on the other, their otherworldliness.
Johan Myburg
Sources:
Berman, E. (1983). Art & Artists of South Africa. Cape Town & Rotterdam: A A Balkema.
Marincowitz, P. and Meintjes, J. (1948). Meintjes – Liriese werke / Lyrical Works. Available at: http://www.johannes-meintjes.co.za/downloads/lyrical_work_intro.pdf [Accessed 29 August 2016].
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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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