through the Doric columns to the land of Art
I took a drive up the R62 to De Rust with my old friend Anton Chapman.The klein karoo was bathed in a moody Autumn light. We had a box of framed watercolours on the back seat, destined for Diane McLean’s Portal gallery. We were putting up a group show called Spektrum, linked to the KKNK. Estelle Marais, Hermann Niebuhr and Sharle Mathews completed the line up. The work ranged from Diane’s highly finished still lives to Anton Chapman’s recent meandering watercolours. Our common link is that we all – over a period of several decades – passed through the hallowed neo classical doorway of the Rhodes Art School. That’s it there above us, in case anyone’s feeling nostalgic. Ah yes, the great enlightenment project in the heart of Xhosa country. But lets not go there now. It took a day to hang the show and it looked fresh, varied and coherent.
Artist as curator backed by Niebuhr abstracts
The McLean still life
With the show up and ready, we took a drive through to Oudtshoorn. You can see a lot of bad art at the KKNK, but in the Prince Vincent building there was good stuff, ably overseen by Sandra Hanekom. Clare Menck’s ” Vanitas” show, with still lives by some of our best painters, was a highlight. There were also good shows by Ian Grose, Pauline Gutter, and Cobus van Bosch. I really enjoyed Olaf Bisschoff”s witty and subversive “Streeksbiblioteek”: old books given new life and meaning through paint.
The 33ks back to De Rust is ostrich farming territory. A lot of ostriches died in the recent bird flu scares. There are a lot less of them now and the farms are restocking. The landscape looked desolate and dramatic, full of boom and bust stories. Only the hardy ones stick it out here.
klein karoo farmhouse
Travels with Pierneef 
6 comments
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09/04/2013 at 17:16
Simon Sephton
Hey, Carl
Nice to get a post again. Been thinking of you over last few days – been north in the Pafuri region with, among others, Lou Almon and Cormac & Max Cullinan. So your name has cropped up a bit (all good!)
Hope to see you some time.
Best, Simon
Simon Sephton 082 412 7780 simon@sephton.co.za Sent from my iPad
10/04/2013 at 21:00
Carl Becker
Lekker to hear from you Simon – I love the far North….keep on thinking I must get there again. Regards to the others!
11/04/2013 at 00:44
Paul v Walters
Would be interesting t know how many miles by road you have travelled through that great land.
Nice one Oom . Also the work gets better and better. I have an interesting Becker self Portrait hanging in our living room that jenny bought for me for Christmas. A rather stern looking chap.
Hope all good with you. L. and I off to Bali for six months. She to work and me…. well rest and finish another book.
Think of you guys often.
09/06/2013 at 17:03
richard humphries
Most interesting – partly because of the link to Anton Chapman. I bought a small work of his in 1981 or so, at a show at the Monument, on his return from his Italian scholarship experience. Have often wondered about his subsequent career and work.
10/06/2013 at 18:09
Carl Becker
Hi Richard – I remember that show at the monument very well he had some good things up there – with the painted frames. He has been in New Zealand for the last 15 years or so, now trying to get a foothold back into the SA art scene. Johans Borman in Cape Town has some of his recent abstracts on a show at the moment. I’ll tell him about you!
16/06/2013 at 13:37
richard humphries
I don’t remember the painted frames bit! My work was painted in Inverino, Crete. Elin Carver, with whom I was lodging, bought a pencil sketch. I did hear via MJ Lourens (do you know his work?) that Johans Borman was stocking his new work. Will check it out when next in CT.