Strauss & co - 10 - 11 May 2020, Cape Town

237 622 Erik Laubscher SOUTH AFRICAN 1927-2013 Wheat Lands near Hermon signed and dated ‘96; signed, inscribed with the title and dated November 1996 on the reverse oil on canvas 100 by 144cm R450 000 - 600 000 Writing in the catalogue accompanying his 1970 survey exhibition at the University of Stellenbosch, Erik Laubscher organised his early painting career into five developmental phases. Tellingly, three of the five phases dealt with his diverse treatment of the Western Cape’s agricultural landscapes. 1 Laubscher was especially intrigued by the Swartland region, enough to list the paintings of this area, named for the colour of the endemic Renosterbos, as a distinct category in his development. His fascination with the region endured throughout his life. This late-career work depicts the small village of Hermon. Located on the southeastern edge of the Swartland, between Wellington and Gouda, this settlement is surrounded by wheat fields, vineyards and olive groves. Laubscher’s naturalistic painting relays aspects of this brochure description. Nonetheless, traces of his earlier interest in cubistic forms and intersecting planes of bright colour inform his organisation and description of the undulating summer landscape. Repetition and change define Laubscher’s practice as a landscape painter. “Once I have identified with a place that is visually stimulating, I find one or two paintings lead easily into a series, each one hopefully giving a new interpretation,”he stated in a 1993 lecture. 2 1. Muller Ballot (1994) Erik Laubscher , Stellenbosch: University of Stellenbosch, page 7. 2. Erik Laubscher (1993) Lesing: 25-jarige bestaansviering van die Strydom Kunsgalery, George.