Purple Mountain

Titled, Purple Mountain a watercolour on Paper in 1917 by South African artist J H Pierneef (1886-1957). In 1917 to 1920 Pierneef extensively travelled South Africa as he moved from Namibia, through the Karoo and into the Western Cape. Although this painting does name a specific location, the artist's use of pink in the signature and the use of a black Board that it is painted on, possibly places this work into his Karoo series. The painting was donated by the artist to one of the University of Pretoria's woman’s residences.Short Biography: Jacob Hendrik (Henk) Pierneef was born in 1886 in Pretoria, South Africa. As a child, he studied art at school, along with other students who would later become well-known artists, such as Fanie Eloff for sculpture and Gordon Leith for architecture. In 1900, Pierneef went with his parents to The Netherlands as a means to avoid the hostilities of the South African War (1899-1902) where he studied at the Rotterdam Art Academy. Pierneef returned to South Africa in 1904 and studied under the prominent artists Anton van Wouw, Frans Oerder and Hugo Naude. In 1913, Pierneef had his first solo exhibition and rapidly became one of the most recognised names in South African art. In 1929 he was commissioned to create panels for the new Johannesburg Railway station, a project which today would be seen as one of his greatest achievements. Pierneef received an honorary doctorate from the University of Pretoria in 1957 in recognition of his work, shortly after in the same year he passed away in Pretoria.