Namaqualand Flowers
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Notes : The flowering veld of Namaqualand was a recurring theme in Naudé's work. The Impressionist technique of working en plein air encouraged Naudé to move away from the realistic academic style that dominated South African art at the time. His preoccupation with capturing transient weather conditions stemmed from his time spent with the Barbizon School in the late 19th century, and this portrayal of a fleeting moment marked a new way of seeing in South African art. Berman comments, "Naudé is probably best known for his distinctive handling of the fields of brilliant orange daisies which transform the semi-desert of Namaqualand each spring. This is an evocative, rather than imitative, image of the subject. Although it may be possible to identify the very spot from which the scene was painted, the artist himself was more concerned with capturing the quality of this particular landscape than with the definition of its details. His observations led him to devise techniques that would convey the special character of the environment in which he painted. He was the first local artist to adapt his style to the distinctive sunlit atmosphere of the South African landscape". This late work shows Naudé at the pinnacle of his artistic powers. The brilliant orange daisies are depicted with a great fluidity and spontaneity. The raised horizon and cool colours that dominate the top section of the composition create an optical recession, giving the illusion of endless space. The artist's observation of minute detail was a result of his early training in portraiture, and yet his landscapes were so successful that he has since become synonymous with the South West African terrain. Bibliography A. Naudé, Hugo Naudé, (Cape Town, 1974). P. Gay, Modernism: The Lure of Heresy: From Baudelaire to Beckett and Beyond, (London, 2007). E. Berman, Painting in South Africa, (Pretoria, 1993), p.13.
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