Strauss & co - 7 October 2019, Cape Town

165 565 Diane Victor SOUTH AFRICAN 1964- Practicing Poise signed, numbered IV/IV ‘Artist Proof’ and inscribed with the title in pencil etching, aquatint, mezzotint and embossing 200 by 110cm R70 000 - 100 000 LITERATURE Elizabeth Rankin and Karen von Veh (2008) Diane Victor , Taxi Art Book Series, Johannesburg: David Krut Publishing. Another example from the edition is illustrated on page 36. Richard Noyce (2010) Critical Mass: Printmaking Beyond the Edge , London: A&C Black. Another example from the edition is illustrated on page 69. Diane Victor often uses her body as a reference in her artworks, many of which are large scale drawings and prints, similar to the present lot. Noyce observes that “by using her body the artist short-circuits the need for a model, but also closing the gap between the object and the subject, and obviating the ambiguity of the artist’s gaze, which is so common in the canon of Western art.” 1 This artwork shows a complex blend printing techniques highlighting the skill that Victor has developed in the making of powerful images. Noyce aptly describes the work as follows: “a naked standing woman stares out from a background embossed with the regularity of wallpaper. Images of primeval sharks nibble at the woman’s body, which is studded with nails, as in African fetish figures. The woman holds a picture of a shell, exposing it’s open cleft.” 2 1. Richard Noyce (2010) Critical Mass: Printmaking Beyond the Edge , London: A&C Black. Page 69. 2.  Ibid .