Published 01 November 2018 in Publications
Art Times
Found tranquility with Adriaan Boshoff
Looking back at 2018 it is with nostalgy that we remember and focus on an artist who has influenced the South African art more that five decades ago and remains relevant ten years after his passing.
Adriaan Boshoff an unreservedly romantic impressionist has enriched many homes with fleeting moments of time captured forever. He has inspired many artists both locally and international to experiment with this rich impressionist
style. It evokes an inner calmness or serenity for the viewer that allows us to take a breath. His work in many respects has become more relevant with time as it sets a bench mark for impressionist works.
In his studio this however was not always the case. He worked slowly, often labouring many hours on works others might describe as an exceptional work only to tear it up and start again.
For art to be relevant, it must be timeless, for art to be timeless it must be universal. He was able to capture exactly these fleeting moments in his works. The viewer is always left with a story, the painting capturing the beginning and the viewer is expected to finish the story for himself.
This might very well explain why works by Adriaan Boshoff has achieved new record sales at our major auction houses and why we have experienced a heightened interest in his works. To help explain the art collectors interest in his work we could look at the universal attributes that runs like a thread through his work. His undeniable talent, relentless preparation through hundreds of sketches before he embarked on a work, his clear and expert application of
colour, and his constant drive to perfection.
Adriaan Boshoff would have easily related to Claude Monet’s quote: “Colour is my day-long obsession, joy and
torment.” If pressed Boshoff’s trademark as a collective would be that singular drive to express the passing moment in a variety of work, backed with first-rate ability and understanding of colour and harmony. His work has a Victorian romantic impressionist feel with subject matters that invoke an inner peace, grace and serenity.
