Strauss & co - 30 June 2014, Johannesburg

128 192 JacobHendrik PIERNEEF south african 1886–1957 Lowveld inSummer signedanddated46 oil onboard 44by60cm R900000–1200000 notes TheAcacia tree, fundamental in JacobPierneef’soeuvre, wasdrawnandpaintedextensivelywithinhis longand prolificcareer. Fewexampleshowever, areas strikingas thepresent lot, combining the landscape, clouds and trees forwhichhiswork ismost renownedand sought- after. Paintedat a timeof yearwhen thecoloursof the bushveldand theLowveld skywereat their brightest, Lowveld inSummer represents theculminationof all the most desirableaspectsof theartist’swork. Influencedby theDutchartist,Willemvan Konijnenburg, Pierneef’sworkmoved towards the geometric simplificationof the landscape,whereareas of flatmonotoneswerecarefullycomposed toconvey the senseof order and symmetry that heperceived in theuntouched sceneryaroundhim. Disinclined to includefiguresor animals in theseepicvistas in whichhe sought toconvey theenormityof nature, the landscape remained theprimary theme throughout theartist’s life. Hewas known to spendhourson endworking in isolationdeep in theveldwherehe producedhundredsof sketchesof landscapeandflora, famouslypropounding that ‘…art has tobebornof your own surroundings andyour own soil’. 1 The Vachellia tortilis (Umbrella thorn), oneof the Lowveld’smost iconic symbolsof enduranceand tenacity, provided someof theartist’s favouriteand most oftendepicted subjects. Known to toleratehigh alkalinity, drought, frost, high temperatures, sandy or stony soils, strongly sloped rooting surfaces and sand storms, it is anapt symbol of strengthandvirility, emblematicof the regard inwhichPierneef heldhis natural surrounds. 1 EsméBerman. (1983) Art&Artistsof SouthAfrica. CapeTownand Rotterdam: AABalkema. Page 328.