Evening Sale
Live Virtual Auction, 12 November 2024
Evening Sale
About this Item
signed and dated 02
Notes
Erik Laubscher’s Interior Still Life with Fruit and Vessels exemplifies the artist’s mature post-Cubist style, characterised by the juxtaposition of bold colour contrasts and simplified formal elements. The composition, dominated by vibrant hues of yellow, blue, and luminous pink, depicts a domestic still-life arrangement that skilfully negotiates the boundaries between abstraction and representation. Central to the composition, a blue bowl containing an apple, half an avocado, and a lemon is placed on a table draped with a yellow tablecloth. Beside the bowl, two ceramic vessels inscribed ‘Ozpiñe’ and ‘Olioa’ are arranged in a ceramic carrier. The terms on the vessels reference the Basque words for vinegar and oil respectively, suggestive of the objects’ historical Spanish origins, and thereby enriching the work’s textural depth. The background is defined by a bright pink wall and a partial view of a window, elements that enhance the painting’s sense of spatial depth while further animating the dynamic colour palette.1
The artwork is indicative of Laubscher’s adeptness in utilising colour to convey both mood and structural composition, a technique shaped by his artistic training in Paris and engagement with modernist movements. His integration of still-life motifs with interior settings, as observed in this piece, underscores his ongoing exploration of form, light and quotidian subjects. The dedication to a post-Cubist methodology, wherein expressive colour application and geometric abstraction are central, situates Interior Still Life with Fruit and Vessels within Laubscher’s broader oeuvre and the evolution of South African modernist painting.2
Laubscher’s work consistently reflects an interplay of influences, merging local and international styles while maintaining a unique approach to modernist aesthetics. His ability to evoke a sense of place and atmosphere through his vivid and structured compositions has established him as a significant figure in the canon of South African art.
1. Esme Berman (1996) Art & Artists of South Africa, Cape Town: Southern Book Publishers, pages 250 & 251.
2. Brenda Schmahmann (2013) ‘Erik Laubscher: Colourist and Modernist’, Art South Africa, 12(1).