Strauss & co - 30 June 2014, Johannesburg

138 201 Alexis PRELLER south african 1911–1975 SeychelloisStill Life signedanddated ‘49 oil oncanvas laiddownonboard 49by 59,5 cm R2600000–3200000 exhibited TheGainsboroughGallery, Johannesburg, AlexisPreller , 2 to 16August 1949 provenance The lateNormanEaton notes InOctober 1948, shortlyafter givinguphis studio atYgdrasil, Alexis Preller sailedup theEast coast of Africa to theSeychelles. Hewrote tohis sister Minnieabout his experienceandproduction in theSeychelles: ‘… I can’t tell youhowhappy I am inmyworkand in theway I amfitting inwith the peoplearoundme. It’s almost as if therewas a placeprepared formeand Iwasmeant tocome here– if all goeswell, at thepresent rate Iwill havea complete showwithmeby the time I land–at least 30 things…’ 1 Preller’s Seychelles sojournended inFebruary 1949and thebodyofworkheproduced therewas exhibitedat theGainsboroughGallery inAugust that year. Theexhibitioncataloguewasdivided into two sectionswith theworksproducedwhile in theSeychelles identifiedunder theheading Mahé, Seychelles Islands–Oct 1948 toFeb 1949. Amongst the 29worksof theSeychellois section therewere twelve still lifepaintings. Theexhibitionwas so popular that theGainsboroughGalleryextended theclosingdatebyanextraweek toaccommodate theunprecedentedvisitor numbers. The RandDaily Mail ’s art critic, ErrolWilmot,wrote inanarticle publishedon 3August 1949, thedayafter the show opened: ‘I havenever feltmorecertainof the outstanding importanceof anexhibitionbyaSouth Africanartist…’and, ina separatearticle, referred to the ‘highlyexciting releaseof energy initiatedby [Preller’s] visit to theSeychelles.’ 2 The still lifecompositionof thepresent lot includes various flowers andcroton leaves, aswell as berries, pomegranate fruit and redpineapples. These are set uponawoodencounter drapedwithagreen cloth, beforeawallwithaFranco-Seychelloisbatik in thebackground. Aplethoraof bright colourswith abundant fruit andvegetation forms the focal point of thecomposition, providinganapt reflectionof theartist’sgeneral senseof positivityandwell-being. Thepomegranate fruit has, inalmost every religion, symbolisedhumanity’smost fundamental beliefs anddesires: lifeanddeath; birthandeternal life; fertilityandmarriage; abundanceandprosperity. It hasbeenheld sacredbymanyof theworld’smajor religions, revered through theages for itsmedicinal properties and featureson thecoat of armsof severalmedical associations. 3 While thepineapplewas associatedwith the returnof ships fromextendedvoyages andbecame anemblemofwelcomeandhospitality that found itsway intoart anddesignaround theworld, it isperhapsmore interesting tonote thedegree of celebrityandcuriosity that thepineapplewas accordedafter its arrival inEuropeafter Christopher Columbus encountered the fruit onhis second voyage to theCaribbean inNovember 1493. As RenaissanceEuropewas a society largelybereft of common sweets,where sugar refined fromcane was a rareandextremelyexpensive imported commodity, fresh fruitwasoccasional andorchard grownvarietieswereonlyavailable for limited periodsof time. Consequently, thepineapple became socovetedacommodity that KingCharles II of Englandposed for anofficial portrait, inanact of symbolic royal privilege, receivingapineappleas agift. 4 Whether or not Prellerwas specificallyawareof the symbolic implicationsof the fruit hechose to portray in the still life studiesof this jubilant time inhis life isunclear.What is clear, however, is the psychological positivity inwhichhe foundhimself, and thiswasbrought tobear onhis choiceof subjects and theirmanner of depiction. Ina later letter tohis sister about this timehe tellsher: ‘wit has beenwonderfulMin, and I amverygrateful for it. It has takenme so far fromall the stormsof the last years, and is exactlywhat Iwas seeking tomark the break.’ 5 1 EsméBermanandKarel Nel. (2009) AlexisPreller: Africa, the SunandShadows . Johannesburg: Shelf Publishing. Page 127. 2 EsméBermanandKarel Nel. (2009) Ibid. Page 134 3 http://einron.hubpages.com/hub/ godsfruitpomegranatesymbolism 4 http://www.levins.com/pineapple.html 5 EsméBermanandKarel Nel. (2009)Opcit. Page 129