Durban
Note : Peter Wenning came to South Africa in 1905 to work at De Bussy's Bookship in Pretoria where he could indulge his avid pleasures in reading and studying Oriental prints, a genre of great interest to the Impressionists and Post-Impressionists. From 1912 he managed the art department of De Bussy's new Johannesburg branch and later worked in Van Schaik's Bookstore. As a Dutch immigrant to South Africa, the artist introduced to the local art scene the subdued tones associated with the Hague School which he preferred to popular responses to the the bleached African landscape. He was also influenced by the plein-air masters whose love of painting outdoors, directly from nature, lent their work an immediacy that was lacking in the academic painting of the day.
Wenning spent two months in Durban from the beginning of November to 28 December 1918. It was then that this painting would have been executed. Wenning's visit to Durban was sponsored by six collectors brought together by advocate HG Mackeurtan. The condition was that each would give ten pounds for which they would get first choice of the paintings produced during his stay in Durban. Wenning completed fifteen paintings from which the sponsors could select.
His painting, Durban, offers a poetic interpretation of the lush, verdant landscapes so characteristic of KwaZulu Natal. Onto a dark, underpainted ground, he lays broad planes of colour in thick impasto paint, to create vivid impressions of nature. Dark outlines surrounding these flat areas of colour give the painting a graphic form reminiscent of the Japanese prints that so fascinated him.
While sinuous lines highlight the sensuality of the subject, the painting has a remarkable tranquility that invites contemplation, echoing the artist's thoughtful and introspective personality. Though he worked prodigiously, his small output as a result of frail health, has contributed to the rarity of his work, making his paintings high sought-after.
