Discover great art this festive season in George

GEORGE NEWS - This festive season, Garden Route locals and tourists have the golden opportunity to view the works of nine of South Africa's top visual artists - right here in George!

The Ludwig Strydom Gallery in Caledon Street will be showcasing Jacobus Kloppers' paintings and Ludwig Strydom's sculptures, as well as works by guest artists Wilma Cruise, Konstanze Harms, Lien Botha, Richard Forbes, Alet Swarts, Jaco van Schalkwyk and Hermann Niebuhr.

Evolutio Inventio

The exhibition, Evolutio Inventio (the evolution of discovery), is the brain child of sculptor Ludwig Strydom, the son of late art patron Dr Matthys Strydom.

Strydom says the exhibition, where all the art is for sale, is an extension of his dad's legacy who, as the owner of the legendary Strydom Gallery in Market Street, brought some of the country's greatest artworks to George.

Matthys, who died after a short sickbed at the age of 87 in June 2022, always said that the best part of investing in art is that you get to enjoy it yourself.

When and where

The Ludwig Strydom Gallery is located at Matthys' former home at 26 Caledon Street in George. The Evolutio Inventio exhibition can be viewed by appointment from 16 December to 10 January, Monday to Friday between 11:00 and 16:00, and Saturday and Sunday from 10:00 to 14:00.

Late patron of the arts, Dr Matthys Strydom as photographed by his son Johan Strydom. Photo: Mila van Niekerk

MAIN ARTISTS

Jacobus Kloppers

Kloppers is known for exploring the concept of 'places' and the spaces between them. His work delves into the experience of travel, landmarks, and their impact on the human psyche. Initially, he focused on objects in the Karoo landscape and later examined the road itself as a non-place. More recently, he has explored road signs as indicators of place and direction. Kloppers has now ventured into the virtually immeasurable space above the landscape - the atmosphere, using clouds as a metaphor for the wandering human spirit. His work reflects on the boundless nature of the human psyche and its interaction with physical spaces and journeys.

Ludwig Strydom

Strydom has the gift to see what is hidden inside a piece of wood and the expertise to bring it to life. He works with indigenous hardwood like the wild olive (olien) and karee - difficult to carve but the reward is a beautiful finish. The balance and movement in Strydom's sculptures are impressive and each work has its own voice and life.

PHOTO GALLERY: View a photo gallery here.

Sculpture by Wilma Cruise Photo: Mila van Niekerk

Konstanze Harms

In her youth, Harms honed her ceramic skills under the biggest masters of the world before passing on her knowledge to graduate students in South Africa. Her beautiful jugs of joy and ceramic wall panels captivate and charm. Harms also enjoys playing with crystal glazes. She is the winner of the Corobrick Award and has exhibited across the country.

Wilma Cruise

This renowned sculptor works mainly with fired clay in her renderings of life-sized human and animal figures. Themes explored in Cruise's work include the interface between humans and animals and existential conditions of muteness - silent, internal battles in the search for meaning. Her work explores the interaction between humankind and animals. She maintains it is not the animals who cannot speak (and therefore cannot reason), but we who cannot listen.

Lien Botha

This exceptional photographer's introduction to alternative mediums such as printmaking, painting and sculpture has determined the output of her work over the past three decades. Exploring beyond the surface, she has participated in numerous South African and international group exhibitions and has held 14 solo shows. She is also an award-winning author who penned Wonderboom and Vin.

Ludwig and Nolene-Ann Strydom Photo: Mila van Niekerk

Richard Forbes

Forbes' use of multiple disciplines allows him to delve into the idea of a filamentary thin membrane separating everything while simultaneously emphasising the connection between everything. His oeuvre includes sculpture, installation, printmaking, painting, film, document and writing. His works are in private collections and on public sites in SA, the UK, the USA, Australia, Netherlands, France and Dubai.

Hermann Niebuhr

Niebuhr's work, comprised primarily of oil paintings, is said to resemble the figurative impulse of old master paintings with an added contemporary flavour, which resides "beneath the surface". He captures a sense of realism in his artworks, which document urban decay and rural landscapes. Niebuhr has exhibited widely, and his work is included in several collections. He lives in De Rust in the Klein Karoo.

Alet Swarts

Swarts' artworks deal with the moments when one becomes aware or conscious of something, the satisfying moment when incongruous ideas are juxtaposed in one's mind to make sense of an idea. The works are filled with metaphorical images, textures and patterns, sometimes out of context, to suggest ambiguity.

They are painted in great detail, with meditative precision and intensity, as a contradiction to the lightness and fleetingness of the moments they represent.

Jaco van Schalkwyk

Van Schalkwyk's unbelievably beautiful paintings reflect his experiences of farm life and the bushveld that moulded his passion for painting animal life in their natural environment. His art is revered internationally and held in several prominent private collections including the SA Reserve Bank, Absa Bank, the RMB Corporate Collection, the University of Pretoria, the University of Johannesburg, the Pretoria Art Museum and the Ellerman Collection.

To book a viewing of this incredible exhibition, phone Noline-Ann Strydom on 071 153 2885.

Artwork by Jacobus Kloppers Photo: Mila van Niekerk