Notes

The present lot is accompanied by a Cape Times newspaper article, three photographs of the artist in her studio, and two letters addressed to Mrs S P Basson, signed and dated 1971. All items enclosed in the original envelope addressed to Mrs E Delport of the Department of Art History at Rand Afrikaans University and dated 2000.

"I want to express joy and give joy and happiness", noted Maggie Laubser in one of her many sketchbooks. Her desire to bring about these sentiments is found within the treatment of her artworks, and Woman Against Background with Flowers is a beautiful encapsulation of this. Utilising vibrant colours and alluring forms, curves, and lines, it is a veritable feast for the eyes – and they are unable to focus on one spot for long. Portraiture, birds, and flowers are some of the motifs that Laubser returned to throughout her career. She has schematically combined them in the present lot as an ode to her idea of the mutual dependence of all living things – on the ‘unity of creation’ and the ‘harmony of nature’. Laubser’s love of nature was nurtured during her early years spent on her family farms Bloublommetjieskloof and Oortmanspoort. For Laubser, whose art was often derided and was denied proper recognition until late in her career, her works were "fairy tales in paint…with bright colours and light: they are part of my soul."¹

Provenance

Acquired from the artist in 1973 by Mr and Mrs S P Basson, Pretoria.

Private Collection.

Literature

Stephanie Baum (1973) 'Retrospective show of Maggie Laubser's art highlights her draughtsmanship', Cape Times, 30 June, page 10, an image of the artwork is depicted in the artist's studio.

Dalene Marais (1994) Maggie Laubser: Her Paintings, Drawings and Graphics, Johannesburg and Cape Town: Perskor Publishers, illustrated in black and white on page 318, cat. no. 1329.