Notes

In 1929, Jacob Hendrik Pierneef was selected to create a series of scenic paintings to decorate the concourse hall of the new Johannesburg railway station. Delivered in 1932, his large paintings, 28 of which depicted notable locations accessible via the expanding railway network, are widely regarded as definitive. As part of his research for this career-defining commission, Pierneef travelled extensively, dedicating 18 months to producing preliminary drawings and paintings.¹ These preparatory works allowed him to note important topographical details and experiment with composition before finalising his paintings.

This undated work is most likely a precursor to his Station Panel painting depicting the two rocky headlands enclosing the Knysna Estuary. It shares the same vantage point: a view from the eastern headland onto the western headland. As in his 1929 painting of the old harbour in Hermanus – another preparatory work for his railway commission included in this sale (lot 260) – Pierneef omits the horizon line. The sky, which serves as a site of decorative embellishment in the Station Panel work, is barely suggested here. The artist’s focus lies elsewhere.

Pierneef’s fascination with geological formations is well known and is arguably a defining feature of this composition. Many scholars have commented on the unified colour scheme in the Station Panels.² Yet while researching the commission, Pierneef was far less concerned with stylistic coherence. In Pienaar’s River (1929), another preparatory work for the project, he revels in dusky tones of red, pink and burgundy. This lot derives its impact from Pierneef’s expressive fondness for red and pink – colours that exceed the natural hues of Knysna’s sandstone cliffs.

The choice of Knysna as a subject for the commission is also worth noting. Knysna was linked to George by railway in 1928, shortly before Pierneef commenced research on his commission. Authorities planned to exploit the region’s natural forests for railway construction. But perhaps other factors influenced the selection. Scholar N J Coetzee speculates that Pierneef’s longstanding association with Knysna-born Gordon Leith, one of the commissioning architects and a friend since art school, may have subtly shaped his decision to paint – expressionistically first, later monumentally – this famous landmark.³

¹ Heslia Schön (1973) “The History of the Station Panels,” in The Johannesburg Station Panels, Pretoria: Pretoria Art Museum, n p Katinka Kempff (1974) “Pierneef en die Johannesburgse stasiepanele”, De Arte, No. 15, April, pages 43-44; A J Werth (1980) Pierneef Van Wouw, Stellenbosch, Rembrandt van Rijn Art Foundation, n p.

² Schön (1973), Kempff (1974), N J Coetzee (1992) Pierneef, Land, and Landscape: The Johannesburg Station Panels in Context, Johannesburg: CBM Publishers, page 3.

³ N J Coetzee (1992), page 36.

Provenance

Holtzhausen KunsGalery, 1975.

Private Collection.