Portrait of a young woman in yellow headscarf ,
Provenance : Campbell Smith collection.
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Notes : Notably one of the most prominent and best-known portraitists in South African art history, Neville Lewis’ illustrious career included official commissions for important political personalities like Sir Winston Churchill; Chief Tshekedi Khama and Chief Albert Luthuli. As an artist exploring the people and various communities in the places around him, he also sought to portray ordinary and rural subjects, focussing predominantly on ‘native’ sitters. This dichotomy resulted in a remarkable oeuvre of portraits that provide an extensive and telling pictorial record of the diverse individuals, active and present in the country (and internationally), during colonial times.
These striking portraits of a young woman in yellow headscarf and a young girl are both highly accomplished oil studies. Whilst slightly academic in nature, the works are formal, yet compassionate characterisations of the sitters. One is drawn to their eyes, and their calm and pensive demeanour. Beautifully rendered, their presence and quiet vitality shine through – evidence of the artist’s assured handling of paint, using broad and brisk brushwork to apply various tones of complementary colours.
Neville Lewis’ work is held in various public collections locally and abroad including the Iziko South African National Gallery in Cape Town, Johannesburg Gallery, Africana Museum, Johannesburg; Durban Art Gallery, William Humphreys Gallery, Kimberley; The British Museum, National Gallery and Tate Modern in London.
Marelize van Zyl
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