Cape Town, 11 October 2011

76 118 John Roland Brown S OUTH A FRICA 1850-1923 Swartberg Pass, Meiringspoort inscribed “After and by J Brown” watercolour 38 by 55cm R8 000 – 12 000 John Roland Brown was a hearing- and speech- impaired artist. He retired to Grahamstown circa 1902 where he held a one-man exhibition in 1916. LITERATURE A Gordon-Brown, Pictorial Africana , Balkema, Cape Town, 1975, p129 A similar example of this work is in the Albany Museum, Grahamstown Frans Oerder Frans Oerder’s draughtsmanship was finely honed in the training he received at the Rotterdam Academy of Art where he registered in 1880. The gifted student completed the six-year course in five years and, at the age of eighteen, won the King William III Gold Medal and Bursary which enabled him to embark on a study tour of Italy. On his return he continued his tuition in Brussels under the French painter Ernest Blanc-Garin. As J H Pierneef’s teacher, Oerder would have communicated his principles of concentrated observation to his pupil who in turn developed these into his own unique style. Portrait of Mrs Thiry is a thoughtful study in relaxed elegance and serenity achieved through a combination of superb drawing skills and empathy with his sitter. His studies of children and babies convey a remarkable sensitivity and tenderness. His use of sanguine with its reddish brown colour, the ideal medium for rendering modelling and volume in warm tones, was favoured by Old Masters like Leonardo da Vinci. The Garden in Spring is a charming study in the play of light over diverse surfaces demonstrating Oerder’s thorough understanding and appreciation of the French Impressionists. By alternating washes of subtle colour with deft manipulations of impasto, he captures the delights of a domestic home and garden in an atmosphere that is both lively and relaxing. 118 119 119 Jan Ernst AbrahamVolschenk S OUTH A FRICAN 1853-1936 The Old Strand Road, Still Bay signed and dated 1911, inscribed with the artist’s name, title and date on the reverse oil on canvas 11,5 by 22,5cm R18 000 – 24 000