TUESDAY Rostrum members were delighted to learn about the life of a remarkable South African artist, Irma Stern, through guest speaker Mary van Blommestein last Thursday at Mbango Valley Hall.
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Ms van Blommestein, whom guests described as extremely knowledgeable, took Rostrum members into the fascinating artwork of Stern, who had a range of exceptional art skills including making sculptures and paintings.
According to Ms van Blommestein, at age 15, Stern knew what she wanted to do with her life: she loved to draw and paint.
“Stern, an expressionist, found interesting people and incredible things that inspired her to paint.
She also travelled extensively in Europe and explored South Africa, Zanzibar and Congo, where she met new people and translated some of the stories she came across into paintings and sculptures.
“These trips provided a wide range of subject matter for her paintings and gave her opportunities to acquire and assemble a collection of artefacts. Stern’s dream was to travel extensively in her lifetime and she did just that.”
Through her presentation, Ms van Blommestein showed Rostrum guests some of the best of Irma’s paintings and sketches taken from Swaziland, Pondoland in the Eastern Cape and Umgababa in KwaZulu-Natal.
“Her working method demanded intense concentration,; she proceeded to paint while chain-smoking and drinking strong black coffee. She framed her own work, packed exhibitions and arranged sales herself.”
While travelling, Stern also collected artefacts for decor in her home and workstation.
“For 40 years, Stern lived in Cape Town and embellished everything she had. She died in 1996 at age 71 with no children. Stern also made history in South Africa when one of her paintings was sold for a whopping R34-million.”
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