Recent Apparitions & Other Paintings by Nicolaas Maritz

RECENT APPARITIONS & OTHER PAINTINGS NICOLAAS MARITZ

DAWID RAS GALLERY

RECENT APPARITIONS & OTHER PAINTINGS 5 - 24 MARCH 2016

NICOLAAS MARITZ DAWID RAS GALLERY 18 Silvela Road Sandown Estate, Sandton Johannesburg SOUTH AFRICA www.dawidras.com

INTRODUCTION

RECENT APPARITIONS & OTHER PAINTINGS Art does not lie down on the bed that is made for it; it runs away as soon as one says its name; it loves to go incognito.

Its best moments are when it forgets what it is called.

Jean Dubuffet (quoted by Alan Magee: Paintings, Sculpture, Graphics. Forum Gallery, New York, 2004)

“Painting is absolutely primordial, and an exquisitely involved process. It is an activity fraught with small sensuous successes and considerable boring disappointments; a laboured layering of pure chance. This makes every new painting an apparition of sorts; a transformation. But explanations can be odious.

To conceive of a finished painting is foolish. In the tradition of ‘non-professionalism’, ‘informalism’ and ‘the happy accident’, these recent works are testimony to the creative methods of chance, a surprisingly constructive working procedure, by which the paintings, given a little advance artistic encouragement daily, seem to magically appear by themselves.

Painting is surface architecture rooted in complex preliminary painterly stages; a landscape of meandering impressions finally charted by paint; an expression of the particular, relying on a large amount of the general. It is another country, haunted by strange juxtapositions of artistic intelligence. And all of this from my suburban garage! Well, I can only tell you.

Contemporary culture looms very large, and is extremely alienating. It is almost true to say that no-one really fits in. Just about everyone I know is mentally distracted.

Nowadays there seems to be little difference between being and fantasy, between street and gallery, or between website and museum. Even anachronisms have become contemporary. How infinitely ‘nice’ for culture. But find meaning we all still must.

Individualist artistic intention is so easily altered and adulterated by the realities of conventional artistic medium, that to surrender to the scintillating will of paint, is possibly the only enduring answer to a painter. It is to enter at once a hidden world, with its own subtle colour rules and revelatory language. It is an open-ended adventure penetrating the fastidious poetry of accidental line and liquid colour. It establishes and nurtures personal possibilities and artistic miracles. If only everybody could paint!

Unlocking painterly secrets are not for the faint hearted. Like Gauguin I yearn to be more mysterious. Like Matisse I yearn to conjure up and atmosphere of luxe, calme et volupte.

Like my younger self I still yearn to be a painter. Sometimes I have to pinch myself.

This exhibition features a selection of my recent paintings, roughly divided into three sections: Landscape, Still Life and Apparition. All the works are in enamel paint on board.�

Nicolaas Maritz, Darling, February 2016

1. Gedaante met Blou VoĂŤl, 2014, emaljeverf op bord, 498 x 635mm / Apparition With Blue Bird, 2014, enamel paint on board, 498 x 635mm

2. Twee DroomvoĂŤls, 2014, emaljeverf op bord, 340 x 450mm / Two Dream Birds, 2014, enamel paint on board, 340 x 450mm

3. Twee Suurlemoene met Rooi Bessies 2014, emaljeverf op bord, 495 x 580mm / Two Lemons with Red Berries 2014, enamel paint on board, 495 x 580mm

4. Stillewe met Geel Beker en Suurlemoene, 2014, emaljeverf op bord, 820 x 1205mm / Still Life with Yellow Jug and Lemons, 2014, enamel paint on board, 820 x 1205mm

5. Swart en Geel Suurlemoene, 2013, emaljeverf op bord, 295 x 392mm / Black and Yellow Lemons, 2013, enamel paint on board, 295 x 392mm

6.

Swart Lyn Suurlemoen, 2013, emaljeverf op bord, 240 x 320mm /

7.

Blou Suurlemoengloed, 2013, emaljeverf op bord, 232 x 317mm /

Black Line Lemon, 2013, enamel paint on board, 240 x 320mm

Blue Lemon Glow, 2013, enamel paint on board, 232 x 317mm

RIGHT 9.

Pienk Vis op Geel Bord, 2015, emaljeverf op bord, 400 x 507mm / Pink Fish on Yellow Plate, 2015, enamel paint on board, 400 x 507mm

LEFT 8.

Blou Visskadu met Suurlemoene, 2015, emaljeverf op bord, 410 x 320mm / Blue Fish Shadow with Lemons, 2015, enamel paint on board, 410 x 320mm

RIGHT 11.

Vaal Takke in ‘n Gespikkelde Blompot, 2014, emaljeverf op bord, 495x 625mm / Pale Branches in a Spotty Vase, 2014, enamel paint on board, 495 x 625mm

LEFT 10.

Pienk Blompot met Rooi Bessie-takke, 2014, emaljeverf op bord, 580 x495mm / Pink Vase with Red Berry Branches, 2014, enamel paint on board, 580 X 495mm

12. Drie Suurlemoen See-uitsig, 2012, emaljeverf op bord, 665 x 1000mm / Three Lemon Sea View, 2012, enamel paint on board, 665 x 1000mm

13. Uitsig met Wit Bord, 2014, emaljeverf op bord, 580 x 990mm / View with White Plate, 2014, enamel Paint on board, 580 x 990mm

14. Gompou en Doringbos by Dordabis, 2014, emaljeverf op bord, 600 x 613mm / Bustard and Thorn Bush at Dordabis, 2014, enamel paint, 600 x 613mm

15. Kaaskop, 2014, emaljeverf op bord, 395 x 640mm / Kaaskop, 2014, enamel paint on board, 395 x 640mm

16. Tweetoon Maan, 2012, emaljeverf op bord, 590 x 790mm / Two-tone Moon, 2012, enamel paint on board, 590 x 790mm

17. By Spoegontein, 2014, emaljeverf op bord, 650 x 950mm / At Spoegfontein, 2014, enamel paint on board, 650 x 950mm

18. Somerwolke naby Kalkrand, 2014, emaljeverf op bord, 165 x 248mm / Summer Clouds near Kalkrand, 2014, enamel paint on board, 165 x 248mm

19. Rooi Bult by Toktokkievlakte, 2014, emaljeverf op bord, 163 x 250mm / Red Hill at Tapping Beetle Flats, 2014, enamel paint on board, 163 x 250mm

20.

Swart Kaatjie met Rooi Saadpeule, 2013, emaljeverf op bord, 605 x 595mm / Black Kitty with Red Pods, 2013, enamel paint on board, 605 x 595mm

21.

Die Laaste Koedoe, 2012/13, emaljeverf op bord, 780 x 780mm / The Last Kudu, 2012/13, enamel paint on board, 780 x 780mm

22. LeĂŤ Bottels met Blou VoĂŤl, 2014, emaljeverf op bord, 498 x 590mm / Empty Bottles and Blue Bird, 2014, enamel paint on board, 498 x 590mm

23. Twee Stille Gedaantes, 2009/14, emaljeverf op bord, 1220 x 1520mm / Two Still Apparitions, 2009/14, enamel paint on board, 1220 x 1520mm

DAWID RAS GALLERY 18 Silvela Road Sandown Estate, Sandton Johannesburg SOUTH AFRICA TEL: 011 444 5480 CELL: 082 492 9777

www.dawidras.com