For a few years now I’ve been on a mission to find and document the original sites of Pierneef’s station Panels. The paintings, done in the early 1930’s originally hung in the Joburg Station but are now housed in the Pierneef Museum in Graaf Reinet. There are 28 landscapes. Pierneef was in his early 40’s when he did them and they represent a highpoint in his career – the point where subject matter, content and style coalesce into something really strong. They secured his place as SA’s leading painter and ensured a widespread popularity.
Today we tend still to look at them and sense that they convey the essence of the landscape. By revisiting the sites, I’m trying to find out what’s left of them – how much remains after 80 years of development? Does Pierneef’s sense of those places still exist? Are they really as grand as he made them or was he a hopeless Romantic?
HOW TO DO IT?
It took me a while to figure out that I would do work that relates to the site itself and then work that relates to Pierneef’s original paintings. When I get to a site, I do watercolours and drawings as an initial response. Later in the studio I work up paintings from photographs. But there’s also a set of works that responds to Pierneef’s paintings. These usually take the form of a modified Pierneef – the original injected with some image that seems appropriate to the place.
RUSTENBURG KLOOF
The first place I went to, about 2 hours NW of Jo’burg. Easy enough to find – it’s on the map. It’s a ‘plesieroord’ with well tended lawns and bungalows. The cliff face stares right out at you and looking at Pierneef’s original painting, it was easy to figure out exactly where he was when he did the initial studies. (He did hundreds of preparatory drawings.)
This is Pierneef’s original Rustenburg Kloof Panel:
Rustenburg Kloof. Oil on Canvas. 141cmx126cm
Rustenburg Kloof. Oil on canvas, 50 x 60 cm.
Biker 3, watercolour 17.5 x 13.5 cm
Travels with Pierneef 
4 comments
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22/03/2010 at 17:13
Max Cullinan
Hi carl – Gules sent me thisd. Seriously cool idea and artworks…
22/03/2010 at 21:45
david forbes
I understand the quest for Pierneef, I have one of his tiny works and I have always loved his paintings, and the stuff in Graaff Reinet is astounding, as is the (damaged) station paintings and the ones in the Magistrate’s court.
Is this a personal journey of a landscape painter? Are you trying to find yourself through Pierneef? Are you trying to discover the difference between what he “saw” and what “was there” in terms of how you see landscapes changing through development and through time?
As a filmmaker, I have also had an interesting journey where I have realised the VALUE of incorporating the “ugly” parts of development into the frame, where I deliberately include the powerlines, the goalposts (like you do) etc into the picture as part of the composition, not only because it speaks to the reality, but also because it tells part of the story. This is very complex stuff, and, for instance, when I look at the original and your painting, I see that his point of view was much closer (under the cliff) than yours . . . (this I know from camera angles!) :-))
But I’m interested in the kind of journey you are on, and what you hope to achieve from it.
Best, as always, your admirer,
David
29/12/2013 at 12:26
Katia
Hmm it appears like your site ate my first comment (it was extremely
long) so I guess I’ll just sum it up what I wrote and say,
I’m thoroughly enjoying your blog. I as well am an aspiring blog blogger
but I’m still new to the whole thing. Do you have any recommendations for novice blog writers?
I’d really appreciate it.
12/01/2014 at 22:14
Carl Becker
Hi Katia good to hear from you, and sorry to have missed your first longer comment. For starters, I would say that, unlike me, you should respond at once when people comment! The other thing that you should do is post regularly – but not too much. Go for quality of posting – I dont post unless I have something to say and I edit it down ruthlessly – people these days are bombarded with so much stuff, so keep it simple and to the point. Enjoy and good luck!