Strauss & co - 24 May 2010, Johannesburg

152 256 Irma Stern south african 1894–1966 Still Life with Gladioli and Fruit signed and dated 1934 oil on canvas 85 by 85 cm R4 000 000 – 5 000 000 Rarely does an auction sale offer such a wide range of still lifes from different periods of Irma Stern’s career. From an early still life painted in 1934 to a unique middle-period painting of proteas to a late painting produced in 1960, these works provide an exceptional opportunity to examine the changes in Stern’s approach not just to this particular genre but to the handling of her medium and to larger questions of the nature of painting in a rapidly changing world. Still Life with Gladioli and Fruit is a superb example of Stern’s mastery of her medium displaying some of the lessons learnt from her mentor, German Expressionist painter Max Pechstein. The generous form of a favourite green vase (which also appeared in Still Life with Dahlias on Strauss & Co’s inaugural Cape Town sale in October 2009) is located at the centre of the composition from which the green stems radiate. Soft pink blooms with luscious highlights are articulated with rose-coloured lines that are echoed in the polka-dot pink cloth. The rich buttery yellow background is a completely unexpected choice of colour against the foreground pinks. All is painted with substantial impasto strokes and a palpable appeal that makes one imagine that one can reach into the painting to inhale the fragrance of fresh flowers and take a bite from an apple.