Pranas Domsaitis: Rider
Pranas Domsaitis
Rider
Oil on board
62,5 x 49,5 cm
Signed bottom right
Sold - 2013
Pranas Domsaitis made a significant stylistic contribution to South African art after the Second World War, as he introduced the latest expressionist influences from Europe. He is unique among South African painters in that much of his subject matter was devotional in spirit, and even his interpretation of the vast South African landscapes was infused with a spiritual intensity. His expressionist approach, with its abstracted and simplified forms, and the effective use of colour combinations to provide the desired emotional effects, resulted in a unique style which had a lasting influence on artistic development in his adopted country.
Discussing Domsaitis’ favourite themes, Verloren van Themaat writes:
Domsaitis grew up in a part of the world where the horse was still a means of transport. When he was younger he had often painted horses realistically but eventually it was the rider who was to hold his attention. The proud bearing of the rider on his horse and their unity in motion had a particular fascination for him.
Bibliography:
Elsa Verloren van Themaat, Pranas Domsaitis, Cape Town, 1976, p 18
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