Notes

In her early thirties, Maggie Laubser learned of and began to practice Christian Science. This belief system, which has a great appreciation for nature, is rooted in a belief in the healing power of God’s love. For Laubser, the best way for her to express this was through her art. As she explained: ‘When I look at the wonders of creation, which unceasingly speak to me through the harmony of their colours and forms, the astonishing coherence of unity and infinity fills me with a great desire and urge to express what I experience and in this way praise and worship my Creator.’¹

It is perhaps with this in mind that she chose the Christmas cactus as the subject for this striking still life. In the present lot the plant acquired its name because it flowers around this holiday. In this present lot, Laubser has contrasted the rounded curves of the vase and fruits and the lushly opened flowers with the prickly, pointed leaves of the cactus. She has used cool blues and greens to accentuate the passionate reds and oranges of the flowers and fruits. It is a painting in which the viewer can see – and feel – that the artist has expressed her joy for the wonders of creation ‘through the harmony of their colours and forms.’² 

1.  Muller Ballot (2016) Maggie Laubser: A Window on Always Light, Stellenbosch: Sun Press, page 292.

2.  Ibid.

Provenance

The Tasso Foundation Collection of Important South African Art assembled by the Late Giulio Bertrand of Morgenster Estate.