Notes

Irma Stern was a prodigious collector of art and artefacts from many cultures which she amassed during her travels. These influences provided inspiration and often served as vignettes in paintings or compositions in their own right. Christianity and Western art are inextricably linked to these iconic images. “In her later years she showed an interest in Catholicism. It is possible that her companion Dudley Welch’s advocacy was a factor in her putative thoughts of conversion. My own reading of the matter would be that she was more in love with the ritual and iconography of the Roman Church than in its articles of faith.” ¹

“The fifties are notable for religious subjects in Stern’s work. In turning to religious imagery, she divulges her need for spiritual fulfilment. Although she never denied her Jewishness she did not observe Jewish ritual and sought spiritual fulfilment in art, attempting to transmit a philosophy which had run consistently through her work. The philosophy ignored the material conditions of life and posited an ideal world of harmony and timeless unity between humankind and nature. Its positivism is simplistic and it highlights the narrowness of her social awareness, but underpins the pictorial themes of her last years.” ²

The present work painted during this period shows Irma’s bold expressionistic use of colour and black line along with a strong cubist influence, creating arcs and crescents where bisecting ovoid and circular forms meet at fractured, rhythmic intersections. The hot palette of orange and red tones in the robe and headscarf, topped by a golden yellow halo, contrast powerfully against the blue and green tones surrounding her person.

1 Neville Dubow. (2003) Irma Stern: Expressions of a Journey, Remembering Irma: A Private View, Standard Bank Printing Department, page 53.

2 Marion Arnold. (1995) A Feast for the Eye, Cape Town: Fernwood Press, page 21.

Provenance

A gift from the artist to the current owner's mother-in-law.