JH Pierneef: Bushveld - SOLD
JH Pierneef
Bushveld - 1942
Oil on board
45 x 60 cm
Signed and dated bottom left
Sold - 2009
Born Jacob Hendrik Pierneef, 13 August 1886, Pretoria
Died 4 October 1957 at the age of 71, Pretoria
Pierneef loved the Bushveld passionately, and it is the one theme that appears repeatedly throughout his oeuvre. These paintings bear testimony to the artist’s stylistic ability in assuring balance of form, colour and composition to effectively evoke an atmosphere that would communicate the mood of tranquillity and serenity found in the unspoilt African bush.
Pierneef’s partiality for simplicity of design, while not compromising the strength of a composition, was primarily inspired by his studies of the primitive rock art of the San people, as well as the more geometric, decorative art of the black peoples of Southern Africa. Pierneef was enthused by the clear perception and effective simplification applied by these early indigenous artists who avoided realistic imitation, as he considered their approach accurate and definitive of the essential characteristics of the African landscape. His early interest in producing etchings and linocuts developed Pierneef’s natural talent for composition and balance, and taught him the importance of a harmonious arrangement of contrasts within a given space.
The majestic forms of the camel thorn, leadwood and wild seringa trees, often portrayed dominating the surrounding landscape, were elevated by Pierneef to symbolise the mystery and spirit of the Bushveld. The magical and spiritual characteristics of his iconic, stylised trees, also symbolic of the link between heaven and earth, captured the artist’s imagination from an early age, and were the inspiration for many of his paintings.
Long before his death Pierneef expressed a wish which defined the source of his inspiration: Bury me under a camel thorn tree, with its straight manly character guarding me, and its roots deep in the soil of Africa.
Bibliography:
JFW Grosskopf, Hendrik Pierneef - The Man and his Work, Pretoria, 1947, pp17,18,23 and 24
PG Nel (Editor), JH Pierneef - His life and his work, Cape Town, 1990, pp 47,48,55,141 and 142
To view the JH Pierneef web page click here
To view the JH Pierneef biography click here