Published 01 July 2012 in Publications
Art Times
"To understand a painting you need a chair, so that the weary legs will not disturb the mind!"
The three great truths about being an
"After seeing my work, Gregoire artist according to Hennie Niemann: extended an invitation to me to visit him in Cape Town."
"Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working" - Pablo Picasso
Art has always been an integral part of Hennie Niemann's life. Even in his early years, at school, he was constantly painting and drawing.
Hennie is in the true sense a self taught artist. He spend many hours analysing and practising his skills, through scetching the works of great international and South Atrican artists of the time. He attributes the start of his painting career to a painter and sign writer, who allowed him to observe him work, and started him with some oil supplies, Mr Grobbelaar.
At the age of 12, Hennie was invited to exhibit his work alongside leading artists including: Frank Speers, Piet van Heerden, David Botha, Frans Claerhout and Gregoire Boonzaaier.
At a young age, Hennie developed a love for the performing arts and literature especially NP van Wyk Louw, who later influenced his abstract work.
"During my first year at university I decided to take up Gregoire's invitation and set of to Cape town on my Vespa from Bloemfontein. In Cape Town / was so overwhelmed with my expectation of this great artist
- I got cold feet and returned not meeting him!"
Later, 1964, he completed his BA (HED). His first post was held at the Van Kerken School in Bloemtontein. During these years he met the Ampenbergers and became good friends with Frans Claerhout who's expressionism became a style Niemann is associated with till today.
"During 1973 I had some works for sale in Pretoria. I was informed that Gregoire Boonzaaier bought one and wanted to meet the artist.
To his great surprise it was by the boy he met many years ago. Once again Gregoire invited me to visit him. I finally met him in 1975 and we formed a strong triendship that lasted till Gregoire's passing in 2005." Hennie and his family decided to move to Onrus in 1983 and left teaching to become a self sustained artist.
Hennie often claims: "I never consciously aimed at developing my own style; evolution came naturally over time through studying art and hard work, although to the trained eye, the influence of many artists is discernible in my work, - each artist stands on the shoulders of artistic giants.*
Although Hennie paints a great variety of subject matters some of his favourites are:
Harvesters
Most of the landscapes made by Niemann depicts harvesters in some form. This stems from his fascination with rural life
"My harvesting scenes capture the beautiful mountain scenery and the wonderful feeling of harvesting. I place my figures in a setting that would enhance the poetry of the harvesting dance.
Fishermen and Cottages
The Cape is synonymous with pictures of people catching, cleaning and selling fish. As with the harvesters, he depict the fisherman in the foreground. The image is based in reality however he romanticise it as it exists mainly in the mind's eye.
The thatched roofed cottages share space with children playing, woman working, drying fish and fisherman.
This hive of activity became one of his favourite scenes to paint.
Clowns
His clowns, as with Picasso and Rouault, are a mirror of emotion. The eyes express a wide range of emotion. Both the clown and the onlooker attempts to understand each other’s emotion.
