SUMMER EXHIBITION (Strydom Gallery, George. Running until late 2010).

THE 41st Summer Exhibition showcases some of the very best South African art. The work of renowned artists such as Ulrich Schwanecke, Hendrik Pierneef and Adolph Jentsch, hangs alongside the likes of contemporary greats such as William Kentridge and there is much new and exciting work from a host of up and coming artists.

The exhibition features the work of 110 South African artists of whom 30 are acknowledged as masters. A total of 550 works are being exhibited of which more than a third are paintings; the balance is made up of a considerable number of items in ceramics and a range of sculptures.

One of the most innovative paintings in the exhibition, in terms of technique and the handling of the media, is Five Loaves and Two Fishes in oil on board by Ray Andrews. At 91cm by 61cm, this is not a large work of art, but the unique handling of the paint and the composition, together with the overall presentation of the work make it a stop-you-dead-in-your-tracks painting.

The Ceramic Wall Panel constructed by Bea Jaffray is an intricate hanging in which many small porcelain squares, decorated with patterns and a variety of motifs have been stitched together with fine wire. The overall affect is quite lovely and the whole must have taken many hours of work to complete.

Two paintings by Peter Midlane provide an object lesson in how the most ordinary of subject matter can be made into a splendid work of art with the proper application of technique.

In Willie’s Farm II, a large painting at 77cm by 101cm, in oil on canvas, a gravel road simply goes off into the distance.

The beauty of the work is in the creation of the shape, form and texture of the sand and stone that are the substratum of the farm track.

More powerful still is Karoo Landscape, a bigger painting with dimensions of 104cm by 140cm, also in oil on canvas.

The viewer looks through the strands of a wire fence to the searing heat of a Karoo day, across a rock face broken into shards by the relentless pounding of the elements, as scattered patches of vegetation fight for life under the summer sun.

Quite simply a fabulous painting.

Ulrich Schwanecke has a wonderful watercolour of The Richtersveld, using the very different and highly original techniques this artist employed to such powerful effect and which no one else has ever been able to emulate.

From South Africa’s hall of artistic fame come two exquisite floral studies.

Blomme in Blou Vaas by Francois Krige (1913-1994) is in oil on board and resonates with colour and life.

Still Life by Frans Oerder (1867-1944) is a most delicate and finely executed painting in oil on canvas.

Needless to say, acquisition of either of these paintings requires that the purchaser has a very healthy bank account!

Other well-known names at the exhibition are the sculptor Eduardo Villa and the painters Jan Volschenk, Maud Sumner, Robert Hodgins and Norman Catherine.

The 41st Summer Exhibition at The Strydom Gallery in George is a superb collection of fine art, that will repay a morning of concentrated study.

The exhibition runs throughout the rest of this year until the latter part of next year. – Reviewed by Timothy Twidle Garden Route Correspondent