Notes

It is thought that the present lot forms part of Laubser’s ‘Langebaan Phase’, which spanned from 1928 to 1932.¹ During this time Laubser explored this and other coastal villages and her interest in nature was reinvigorated. While other works from this time do incorporate nature, this period is also characterized by sitters who fill the entirety of the picture; sometimes to such an extent that the tops of their heads are cropped from the canvas (as is the case here). In this phase, Laubser experimented with the use of hands as an important gestural feature.² Accordingly, the present lot depicts the sitter cupping her chin in her right hand while she stares into the distance, as if in deep contemplation.

The present lot was one of 34 works included in Laubser’s 1931 exhibition at the Transvaal University College (now the University of Pretoria); the first show she held in the area. It bears resemblance to another work on this exhibition, Weemoed (Melancholy), which Strauss & Co was privileged to auction in October 2019 in Cape Town. Both works were initially acquired from this 1931 exhibition, with the present lot purchased by good friends of the artist, Mr and Mrs Verster; she was godmother to their daughter.

1. Dalene Marais (1994). Maggie Laubser: Her Paintings, Drawings and Graphics, Johannesburg: Perskor, page 174.
2. Ibid. Page 175.

Provenance

Mr and Mrs B Verster, Silverton, acquired on exhibition at Pretoria in 1931 (Bettie Verster and the artist were good friends and Laubser was her daughter's godmother).

Exhibited

South African National Gallery, Cape Town, 1969, catalogue number 57.

MacFadyen Hall of the Transvaal University College (now University of Pretoria), Pretoria, 1931, catalogue number 4 or 5.

Strauss & Co, Giving Direction: Figuration, Past and Present, Welgemeend Manor, Cape Town, 14 to 20 February 2022, illustrated in colour on page 25 of the exhibition catalogue.

Literature

Dalene Marais (1994) Maggie Laubser: Her Paintings, Drawings and Graphics, Johannesburg: Peskor, illustrated in black and white on page 206, catalogue number 658.