Strauss & co - 4 June 2018, Johannesburg

211 256 Jacob Hendrik Pierneef SOUTH AFRICAN 1886–1957 Willows, 1914 signed and dated 1914 pastel on paper 33 by 44,5 cm R200 000 – 300 000 Pierneef’s enthusiasm for the willow tree continued beyond these early shows. In the present lots, great care goes into the depiction of the cascading leaves; each one seems to get a dash or strike from the artist’s blunt lime, yellow and blue pastel sticks. Similarly, it is remarkable that contour and shadow appear from the short strokes of green, brown and lilac in the foregrounds. The decorative quality of the negative spaces is particularly striking, and is emphasised by cross- hatched areas of electric blue, icy white and grey. 1 PG Nel (ed.) (1990). JH Pierneef: His Life and His Work , Johannesburg: Peskor, page 43. 2 Ibid. Continued frompage210