Nicolaas Maritz: Landskap

LANDSKIP

An exhibition of recent landscape works by Nicolaas Maritz UCT Irma Stern Museum, Cape Town, 11th May to 1st June 2019

“Most of the landscape works on this exhibition were inspired by a road trip through the Northern Cape and southern part of Namibia during December 2018. Flat and barren wastes, now and then interspersed with sudden crusty rock formations with deep shadows - such personable geological events in an otherwise seemingly endless wasteland. Many miles of obviously dry landscape glided by, as the tar road stretched straight ahead, like a pencil line over brown paper.

No rain has fallen here since I don’t know when. But it’s beautiful in its own repulsive way. There were few people about, and the one’s I noticed, seemed to appear out of nowhere, and to be living very far apart. The sheep looked tired, in the nicest way possible. The inhospitable aspect of the landscape was exacerbated by extremely hot weather during the day. And a blistering sun. But towards evening a surprisingly cool wind came up. At night the moon and the stars were so much more brilliant than I could recall. The fresh morning landscape was deliciously bathed in a soft and surreal violet light, which I found didn’t photograph well at all. But the purples have always been such difficult colours, especially when it comes to painting; so often too telling, too prosaic…

Crossing the national border between South Africa and Namibia held its own grim fascination; the stern officialese; the strictly formalised process of leaving and entering; the anxious faces of tourists, uncertain in this sudden existential moment, alarmed by loud stamping noises from behind a bullet-proof glass partition. It is a venerable rite of passage, approaching a nightmare, but stoically borne.

Ancient Hill, 2019, enamel paint on board

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Back home, I have to trust my memory to create a painted version of my journey; to relive some of the landscapes. In doing this, I like afresh the problematic flat dimensionality of layered paint, the ambiguous order of a chaotic mess, and the ironic coolth of emotionally charged colour. It’s a struggle, but I feel that I have succeeded if a successful photograph cannot be taken of the finished work; that something is left to the intimacy of a primary encounter.

I certainly hope to be painting and showing pictures till I die. This I say to myself over another cup of milky tea in the studio. A hill with trees. The sea at sunrise. The sea almost any time of day. Piles of rocks. Fields of stone alone. Blindingly bright summer days. Cold and bleak winter weather. The golden glow of autumnal light. All these things we can share. No-one can take this away from us. (Oh dear, I clean forgot about global warming. Shit shit shit!)” - Nicolaas Maritz, Darling, 2019

Online catalogue: https://sites.google.com/ view/nicolaasmaritzgallery

Above: Red Anthill near Aranos, 2019, enamel paint on board. Left: Brown Bush Moon, 2018, enamel paint on board

Nicolaas Maritz in his painting studio, April 11 2019

ABOUT NICOLAAS MARITZ

Nicolaas Maritz was born in 1959 in Pretoria. He went to school in Pretoria and Port Elizabeth. In 1977, he qualified as an army chef and butcher. From 1978 - 1981 he received tertiary art education at the University of Cape Town. His first one man exhibition was held in 1976, in Port Elizabeth, and he has exhibited regularly at galleries and museums in South Africa and overseas.

The artist’s works are represented in most of the art museums and public collections in South Africa. His work can be seen at the South African National Gallery, the art collections of the University of Cape Town, Sasol US Museum, and the Sanlam art collection. Maritz has lectured in art and design at the universities of Cape Town and

Stellenbosch, as well as at private art schools in Cape Town and Pretoria. The artist has received recognition for graphic design, and for illustrations of children’s and other books, notably two American illustration awards.

Nicolaas Maritz has extensive internet presence, and any search result will show several sites, image galleries, as well as references to his work as an experimental musician.

The artist lives and works in Darling, where he has a permanent exhibition space, the Maritz Museum, open to the public by appointment. His hobbies are cooking, gardening and armchair installation art.

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