Irma Stern (South African 1894 - 1966) MELON SELLER AT A ZANZIBAR MARKET

Irma Stern (South African 1894 - 1966) MELON SELLER AT A ZANZIBAR MARKETsigned, dated 1952gouache on card50,5 by 61cmPROVENANCEStephan Welz & Co, Cape Town, February 2015, lot 603 In viewing this work one is immediately struck by its rythmic , upbeat mood . It feels possible that music can be heard , certainly the natural music of the seething market place . Evidently it was painted on a day when the artist felt no' hinderiances ' of any kind , and here we refer to Irma's letter to Freda Feldman of Aug 26 th 1957, where she expresses her urgent desire to travel to Europe on Sept 14 th and hopes that her companion Dudley's 'Damned Office ' will not present any obstruction to her plans ! In her book A Feast for the Eye Marion Arnold refers to Irma Stern's work of the 50 s as a period of 'pictorial experimentalism' and of her being' overwhelmed by Picasso' . Certainly she was inspired by her exposure to Post War European art on her travels . The war years spent in South Africa in the 1940 s were deeply frustrating to the artist on almost every level , and her expressed desire to travel in the 50 s and 60 s bears testimony to this , and she certainly attained her goal , clocking up what would now be referred to as air miles , at a remarkable rate . The travels wrought within her a surge of creativity and a desire for new approaches , a breaking away from the 30 s and 40 s . Her palette bears evidence to this as we see a new tonal range ; powder blues , silvery greens , greys of all kinds , and white to accentuate movement and vigour. This work is a particularly fine example of all these elements . The seated MELLON SELLER, seated slightly to the right of centre , consequently adds a complex and arresting pictorial dimension , which accentuates the angular lines and 'jiggling' figures in the background. Christopher Peter Irma Sterns letter to Freda Feldman ; IRMA STERN are you still alive ? Sandra Klopper Orisha Publishing 2017