Xhosa Girl with Goats

Notes

A member of the New Group, Nerine Desmond nurtured a long-held interest in pastoral themes and often painted sheep or goats and their herders. It may be assumed that this work was painted in the mid 1950s when other known works on related themes were produced. With a sure sense of design developed during her studies at the Central School of Art in London, Desmond transposes the black of the herder's head cloth and bowl to the goats to suggest a unity of nature and culture. Her knowledge of animal anatomy underlies the rhythmic movement of the goats and provides a sound foundation for this idyllic scene of rustic contentment.