Notes

In terms of composition, the present lot recalls many of Pierneef's majestic mountain landscapes in his eponymous Johannesburg Railway Station panels. In no fewer than 14 of the 32 panels Pierneef depicted towering ranges from various parts of South Africa. This very large canvas, with its golden overall effect, has a strong affinity in particular with the Drakensberg and Mount-aux-Sources panels. The resemblance is particularly evident in the diagonal lines that criss-cross the picture plane, creating steep cliff formations and deep, mysterious valleys beyond.

Extensive Landscape, Northern Drakensberg suggests the variety of Pierneef's painterly practice: the pointillistic style of the short shrubs in the foreground; the decorative, geometric abstraction of the cliffs towards the right; and the impressionistic, colourful clouds above is evidence of his technical diversity and mastery of his medium. The beautiful combination also points to his inherent sense of pictorial harmony. In the opinion of Gré van der Waal-Braaksma, 'The colours emphasise the geometric outline and in an understated way separate the different levels and planes from one another. This intellectual approach and structure strengthens the mood of the African scenery in all its austerity and its brilliance'.¹

¹ PG Nel. (1990) JH Pierneef: His Life and his Work. Perskor Publishers, page 144.