oil on board

Artwork date: 1960
Signature details: signed and dated bottom right
Exhibited: FNB Joburg Art Fair, Sandton Convention Centre, SMAC Booth, 27 to 29 September 2013.

(1)

23 x 17.5 cm; framed size: 35.5 x 30 x 5 cm

Provenance:

Private collection, Cape Town.

THE QUIET STRENGTH OF COLOUR IN THE WORK OF PETER CLARKE

Emerging as a prominent artist in the late 1950s, South African painter Peter Clarke established himself as a master colourist. His works from this period stand out for their "unadulterated colour in powerful relationships".^[1] While honing his skills in monochrome printmaking during the late 1950s and early 1960s, Clarke's painted compositions relied heavily on colour, rather than tonal contrast, to convey meaning.^[2] One of Clarke's defining strengths was his graphic sensibility. This is evident in his simplified planes and bold colour choices, which were far more than just pictorial devices; they served as a subtle language, imbued with social commentary.

Although deeply concerned with social issues, Clarke avoided overt political statements. Instead, he documented the lives of marginalised communities with empathy and dignity. In this Untitled landscape from 1960, his sun-drenched landscape, at first glance, suggests a life of idyllic simplicity. However, a closer look reveals a deeper truth. The intensity in the shadows speaks of a harsh reality, a relentless sun that can be oppressive, mirroring the struggles of everyday life in Apartheid-era South Africa. Figures traverse the composition, rendered in a style characteristic of Clarke – simplified forms devoid of detailed features, achieved through loose, expressive strokes. The cloudless cerulean sky reinforces the initial impression of serenity. However, a conflicting note is subtly introduced through the inclusion of algave cacti in the composition. These vigorous compositional forms not only add visual interest but also hold symbolic meaning: of a displaced species representing communities themselves, forced to take root in unforgiving circumstances, yet displaying remarkable resilience.^[3]

Art critic Lionel Davis aptly described Clarke's work as "saying things that you can read into if you have a sense of social fabric".^[4] Clarke masterfully employs a vibrant colour palette and a strong inclination towards simplified forms to create a work that transcends aesthetics. This ostensibly tranquil scene becomes a veiled commentary on the social realities of the time, urging the viewer to delve deeper and acknowledge the quiet strength residing within marginalised communities.

Peter Clarke painting in the front room of the Clarke family home at Waterfall Flats, Simon’s Town, 1961.

_{Hobbs, P. and Rankin, E. (2011) Listening to Distant Thunder, The Art of Peter Clarke, Johannesburg: Fernwood Press. p.6.}

^{[1] Hobbs, P. and Rankin, E. (2011) Listening to Distant Thunder, The Art of Peter Clarke, Johannesburg: Fernwood Press. p.75.}

^{[2] Ibid. p. 75.}

^{[3] Ibid. p. 91.}

^{[4] Ibid. p. 91.}

COLLECTOR'S NOTE

• Aspire Art currently holds the record for the highest achieving Peter Clarke artwork sold at auction, with Lazy Day selling for R1 479 400 in 2018.
• This artwork was created just four years after the artist decided to become a full-time artist. This period of his career was marked by his time in Tesselaarsdal near Caledon in the Overberg area, returning to this small rural town every Spring from 1956 to 1960. Visiting this area was Clarke’s best opportunity to spend an extended amount of time sketching and painting.
• Landscape with Gar Trees likely depicts a version of Clarke’s experience of Windermere, a squatter settlement in the Cape Flats, where inhabitants experienced extremely poor living conditions, deprivation, and poverty. He would visit this area in the late 1950s with journalist James Matthews, as they both sought to uncover the darker side of existence in the Cape, looking at the world beyond their immediate environment. This endeavor accelerated Clarke’s humanist interests, swapping capturing likeness for capturing the human experience with social awareness, which would be his main focus and a recurring theme in his works going forward.
• Significantly, Peter Clarke’s work was included in the 1961 Sāo Paolo Biennale, as well as in the 1964 Venice Biennale.
• In 2011, Clarke was recognised with a major retrospective exhibition of his work at the Standard Bank Gallery, Johannesburg and the Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town. It was accompanied by the comprehensive monograph, Listening to Distant Thunder written by Elizabeth Rankin and Philippa Hobbs.
• The Institute of International Visual Arts (Iniva), London, in collaboration with Iziko Museums of South Africa presented Wind Blowing on the Cape Flats, a major retrospective and first major exhibition of Clarke’s works in the United Kingdom in 2013, curated by Tessa Jackson and Riason Naidoo.
• Most recently, a travelling national solo exhibition, For Some the Pathway to Education Lies Between Thorns (November 2023 – January 2024), curated by WHAG’s Chief Curator, Chepape Makgato and City of Ekurhuleni’s Visual Arts Curators, Thabo Sekoaila and Nomcebo Sithole, celebrated the renowned artist’s work.
• Additionally, the artist has been the recipient of a number of notable awards, including the Order of Ikhamanga, presented to him by President Thabo Mbeki in 2005 for excelling in the fields of art and culture; Honorary Life Membership of the Museum of African Art in Los Angeles in 1983; the Arts and Culture Trust Lifetime Achievement award in 2010; and In recognition of his significant impact on South African art and culture, Clarke received an honorary doctorate from the University of Cape Town in 2004.

COLLECTIONS:

The artist is represented in numerous local and international collections, notably; the District Six Museum, Cape Town; Durban Art Museum; King George VI Art Gallery, Gqeberha; Museum of Contemporary Art, Skopje; Javett Art Centre, Pretoria; Berg en Dal, Holland; Iziko South African National Gallery, Cape Town; University of Fort Hare, Alice; University of Stellenbosch and the University of the Western Cape, Cape Town.