Notes

It’s worth comparing this painting to a still life of flowers and gourds painted in 1942 illustrated on page 142 of Marion Arnold’s Irma Stern: A Feast for the Eye. There colour is treated more conventionally and the subject comfortably contained within the format. Here colour is subservient to the overriding theme of the work: the profusion of nature and the sense of plenty.

In this paean to fecundity, the abundance of nature is celebrated through food and flowers, as the sources of immense pleasure and well-being. The fleshy magnolias, in various stages of blooming, from tight buds to full blown maturity, appear to burst beyond the confines of the canvas, which can barely contain their fullness. The painting’s strongest tonal contrasts, between the clear whites of the large, soft petals and the dark pine greens of the firm leaves, draw the eye to this sensuous centre. Creamy, plump pumpkin are spread out beneath them on a cloth of earthy mushroom and yellow-ochre tones that are skilfully distinguished from the cool, reflective surfaces of the glistening vase.