Irma Stern (South African, 1894-1966) Black lilies
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Notes : At her 1930 exhibition in Paris, Stern was critical of herself for repetition of her colour schemes. It was at this stage that she realised her still lifes were the exception to such repetition, and she determined to build up her knowledge of colour through them, to dazzling effect. Beautiful and elegant, black calla lilies are dramatic and rare blossoms thought to have originated in Africa. For Irma Stern, whose sumptuous still lifes compose some of her greatest masterpieces, black lilies would have been a unique and fresh addition to the genre which she loved so much and which provided her with the opportunity for so much artistic freedom. In the present work, and quite rarely for Stern, the delicacy of Black lilies lies very much with the dramatic silhouette of the flowers against the pale blue background. The dark buds are the perfect medium with which to demonstrate her confident brushstrokes and sure draughtsmanship. And most importantly, Stern has noticed that black lilies are not actually black but rather deep maroon and she has captured the fact by contrasting them with a truly black vase, utilising the effects of light and shadow to demonstrate her profound understanding of the nuances of colour.
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