Notes

Wenning was in Durban in November and December 1918 as the guest of Advocate Graham Mackeurtan. During this brief stay in the coastal subtropics, during which time he explored the possibility of a commission for the Catholic Church there, he produced at least 15 oil studies, of which the present lot is a fine example. Luminous and atmospheric, the painting catches a serene and beautiful moment on the seafront. The plain-made rowboats with their faded green hulls and orange gunwales, dragged up the beach from the foamy-turquoise bay, are a romantic counterpoint to the modern steamers and tugs that featured in some of the artist’s other Durban paintings.