Sketse en tekeninge / Sketches and drawings
As kunstenaar wat verskeie studies ten opsigte van sy gekose onderwerpe gedoen het, het Pierneef kern-inligting vasgevang in die sketse en tekeninge wat hy ter voorbereiding gedoen het. Hierdie inligting kon redelik akkurate besonderhede van plekke en datums bevat. Terwyl dit deel van Pierneef se benadering tot ‘n landskapskildery was om verskeie sketse by een komposisie in te skakel, help die bestudering van en verwysing na die voorbereidende tekeninge en sketse die kyker om ‘n begrip van Pierneef se denke oor komposisie te kry.
Die tekening Middelfontein, byvoorbeeld, is ‘n presiese en gedetailleerde werk, op skaal, van die linosnee hier getoon. Die gebruik van natrekpapier was tot Pierneef se voordeel aangesien hy die tekening maklik kon omkeer en onmiddellik die spieëlbeeld kon hê vir die kerf van die linosnee om die positiewe weergawe te druk. Die eerste afdruk wat van die linosnee gekatalogiseer is, toon die datum 1919 en is getitel Landskap met huis. Die tekening is waarskynlik van dieselfde datum as die linosnee, of selfs van ‘n vroeër eerder as later datum as die afdruk. Hoewel die titel van die linosnee nie ‘n aanduiding gee van waar die kunswerk gedoen is nie, verskaf die tekening ‘n mate van duidelikheid met die titel Middelfontein onder in die linkerhoek.
Hierdie linosnee was onder die paar gekeurdes wat die tydskrif Lantern as litografie-weergawes herdruk het. Die herdrukke is in silwer met ‘n Pierneef-seël ‘gewaarmerk’.
Nadat Pierneef oorlede is, het sy weduwee, May, talle van sy sketse aan die Transvaalse argief geskenk, en dit word vandag in die Pretoriase tak van die Nasionale Argief van Suid-Afrika gehuisves. Dit is wetenswaardig dat kunstenaars die meeste van sodanige sketse en tekeninge wegdoen.
As an artist who carried out various studies in respect of his selected subjects, Pierneef captured key information in his preliminary and preparatory sketches and drawings. This information could, in fact, contain reasonably accurate details of locations and dates. While it was part of Pierneef’s approach to a landscape painting to combine various sketches into one composition, tracing and referring to the pre-drawings and sketches enable the viewer to study Pierneef’s thought of composition.
For instance, the drawing Middelfontein is an exact and detailed drawing, to scale, of the linocut depicted here. The use of tracing paper was beneficial, as Pierneef could easily flip the drawing and instantly have the mirror image to be carved from the linoleum, to print the positive copy. The first print of the linocut that was catalogued, is dated 1919 and entitled Landscape with house. The drawing would probably be of the same date as the linocut, or even of an earlier rather than later date as the print. While the title of the linocut gives no indication as to where this artwork was executed, the drawing gives some clarity, as it is captioned Middelfontein in the bottom left-hand corner.
This linocut was amongst the selected few that the magazine Lantern reprinted as lithographs. The reprints are ‘signed’ with a Pierneef signature stamp in silver.
When Pierneef passed away, his widow May donated volumes of sketches to the Transvaal archives, today housed in the Pretoria branch of the National Archives of South Africa. Most of these sketches and drawings are often discarded by artists.
