The master behind the masterpieces

Jacob Pierneef was amongst South Africa’s iconic painters. His dramatic landscapes, with their geometric lines and vibrant yet controlled colours, brought him international fame in his lifetime.

- Graham Jooste.

Jacob Hendrik (Henk) Pierneef was born in Pretoria on 13 August 1886 to a Dutch builder and the daughter of a Voortrekker. He attended the Staats Model School in Pretoria, where he had his first art classes.

The Pierneefs’ quiet lives, along with thousands of others, were upended by the outbreak of the Anglo-Boer War (1899 to 1902). When Pretoria surrendered to the British in May 1900, the family chose deportation over internment and sailed for Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Here, the young Pierneef continued his schooling, painted at the Rotterdamse Kunsakademie, and studied the works of the old Dutch masters. The family returned to Pretoria five years later, and Pierneef soon fell under the encouraging influence of his godfather, Anton van Wouw, as well as the artists Hugo Naudé and Frans Oerder. Van Wouw would later become acclaimed for his stone sculptures, while Naudé and Oerder would become known for their landscapes and portraits. All took an instant liking to the aspiring artist.

Interestingly, Pierneef’s preference at this stage was not fine art, but architecture. Lack of funds, however, made it impossible for him to study the subject. He also had to be content with little formal training in art. Nonetheless, he continued to paint and hone his technique.

AN ARTIST TAKES WING