Notes

In this painting, Laubser ameliorates the strident contrasts of her Berlin period with the pastoral tranquillity that she distilled from the landscapes she loved. A label on the reverse, in what is probably the handwriting of a previous owner rather than the artist, notes the painting’s date as 1928. This is entirely plausible, given that this work is stylistically related to Houtdraers, which was catalogued for her retrospective exhibition as having been produced in 1929.

Esmé Berman records that after Laubser’s return from Berlin in 1924, she made several working trips to local destinations including Natal. It is possible that she traveled via the Transkei and was inspired to produce this painting. It certainly captures the rich colours associated with that landscape – the orange earth from which ochres are obtained to colour skin and cloth and the verdant greenery associated with its more fertile areas.
 

Provenance

Dr and Mrs FG Roux, acquired from the Egon Guenther Gallery circa 1963.

Literature

Dalene Marais, Maggie Laubser, her paintings, drawings and graphics, Perskor, Johannesburg and Cape Town, 1994, page 371, catalogue no 1661, with the title Landscape with Trees and Figures.