Winelands Online Auction this weekend is a special one with an exceptional J H Pierneef artwork - EASTERN TRANSVAAL LANDSCAPE WITH FARMHOUSE, MOUNTAINS AND LOOMING STORM, signed, casein on paper, 32,5 by 49cm
Auction estimate - R400 000 to R800 000
Jacob Hendrik Pierneef, born on the Highveld in 1886, is perhaps South Africa’s most iconic landscape painter. Having developed an unmistakable aesthetic during the first half of the twentieth century, his pictures, whether described as nostalgic, beautiful or experimental, are definitely familiar to generations of South Africans. Enormously prolific, the artist was equally comfortable working in oils, gouache, watercolour and casein, while the prints he produced, both linocuts and etchings, remain as influential as they are collectable.
During the early 1920s, as Pierneef became more settled in his initial career as an art lecturer at the Pretoria and Heidelberg Colleges of Education, a steadily growing interest in his work resulted in exhibitions in Pretoria and the Cape Province. These early successes led to Pierneef’s decision in 1923, at the age of 37, encouraged by his godfather Anton van Wouw, to become a fulltime artist. As Pierneef gained more confidence in his stylistic development, Frans Oerder, amongst others, instructed him in various painterly techniques and mediums such as casein.
Pierneef was known to pack his easel and art materials and to travel and roam along the gravel roads on the outskirts of the capital city and further afield towards the bushveld and the Eastern Transvaal, better known today as Mpumalanga. It was during these journeys, en plein air, that the artist explored certain stylistic techniques and painterly mediums such as casein with its subtle qualities.
Casein is a milk-based binding agent and can be used in painting by grinding pigment in a solution of the substance. It has been used as a binder and adhesive for over 800 years, but the medium’s popularity dwindled with the advent of artificial polymers. Despite this long history, it hasn’t been a popular choice amongst artists due to its fast drying rate, making it extremely difficult to handle. This paint demands a certainty and assuredness from the artist, as once dried, the medium sets like fine cement and becomes completely water resistant. For this reason, Pierneef has been regularly applauded for his successful use of this notoriously difficult paint. The medium may also speak to how prolific Pierneef was as an artist (he did upwards of 5o works in this medium). Since it has a shelf life of only a few days, it would only be used by artists who are creating everyday.
Fast-drying material casein demands certainty. “It is not likely that it will become a very popular process with artists owing to the extreme difficulty of its manipulation, as after application to the prepared surface the mixed paint sets like a fine and indestructible cement,” wrote Ernest Lezard, a Johannesburg art dealer, in an appreciation of Pierneef.
Casein has many of the desired qualities of oil, including its lustrous surface and completely opaque, vibrant colour. The medium also allows for the layering of impasto-like strokes, which can be built on once dried. Casein’s near indestructibility if painted onto surfaces with little pliability also means that many works are wonderfully preserved and show very little ageing.
Auction - 7-9 December 2024
Viewing - 6 December 2024 09:00-16:00 at the Old Tannery, Wellington
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