Notes

In 1948, just short of Pretoria’s centenary, Pierneef was commissioned by the City Council to paint fifteen scenes capturing the so-called Old Pretoria. The artist was well-placed to do this as he had started sketching the settler houses and surrounding landscapes before Union. Using his own historical source material then, which included a number of related linocuts and etchings, he was able to paint a unique visual record of a bygone period. The fact that he was a builder’s son, a fine architectural draughtsman, and deeply interested in vernacular buildings, gave the body of work even greater weight and archival value.

Literature

F E G Nilant (1974) Die Hout- en Linosneë van JH Pierneef, Cape Town: A A Balkema, another impression from the edition illustrated in black and white on page 76.

Gerard de Kamper and Chris de Klerk (2014) JH Pierneef in Print, Bela-Bela: Dream Africa, another impression from the edition illustrated in black and white on page 39, with the title Wonderboom, Pretoria North.