27th Mar, 2017 15:00
Historic, Modern & Contemporary Art
119
Cathcart William Methven (United Kingdom 1849-1925)
Mist on the Mountains, Drakensberg
oil on canvas
Signature details: signed; inscribed with the artist’s name and the title on a label on the reverse
Sold for R68,208
Estimated at R60,000 - R80,000
oil on canvas
Signature details: signed; inscribed with the artist’s name and the title on a label on the reverse
(1)
51 x 77 cm
Notes:
Before his departure for South Africa in 1888, Methven was employed as Assistant Harbour Engineer in Greenock, Scotland, a position he held for eighteen years. He was an active member of the Pen and Pencil Club in Glasgow and painted whenever the opportunity arose. With his keen interest in art, especially landscape painting, Methven was in all probability well acquainted with the iconography of the Highlands as represented in the work of many well-known established Scottish painters at the time such as Horatio McCulloch (1805-1867), amongst others. After his arrival in South Africa he soon became involved and participated in group exhibitions and in 1892 received the First Prize for Landscape Painting at an exhibition organised by the South African Drawing Club.A marine engineer, surveyor and architect by training, Methven was appointed Engineer in Chief for the Natal Harbour Works, a position he held until 1895 when he opened his practice as architect and surveyor in Durban. The artist was a true product of the Victorian age and pursued many interests. He was a keen organist and played a major role in the cultural life of Durban and Natal. It is known that he donated a painting entitled Durban Bay from Clairmont to the Durban Town Council in 1892, a gesture which lead directly to the formation of the Durban Municipal Art Gallery (Hughes 2005:13). In 1905 he co-founded the Natal Society of Artists and became President of this Society for twelve years.Methven’s initial training with the focus on technical drawing informed his artistic style. There is ample attention to detail in this painting as depicted in the foreground, shrubbery and trees. Though picturesque and romantic, it is the approaching mist down the glens of the Drakensberg which creates a dramatic, even ominous backdrop, reminiscent of the often desolate scenery in many a Scottish Highland landscape painting of the late nineteenth century.Methven and his wife lived on the Berea in Durban for many years before moving to Howick in 1920. For the last two years of his life the family rented a house in Scottsville, Pietermaritzburg.
Eunice Basson
Sources:
Hughes, N. (2005). Views in Colonial Natal. A Select Catalogue Raisonné of the Southern African Paintings of Cathcart William Methven (1849-1925). Craighall: Privately Published.
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Auction: Historic, Modern & Contemporary Art, 27th Mar, 2017
The Inaugural Cape Auction offed a diverse range of top-quality historic, modern and contemporary works. With a focus on critically engaged art and a curated approach, seasoned and new collectors competed to acquire significant works.
Aspire’s commitment to the growth of the art market saw international records broken in recognition of exiled South African artists. Louis Maqhubela’s Exiled King, a definitive, politically motivated work, sold for R341,040 - three times his previous record, and Albert Adams’ Untitled (Four Figures with Pitchforks), his first appearance at auction, sold for R136,416. Top prices were also achieved for established artists including J.H Pierneef, William Kentridge, and Edoardo Villa, and contemporary artwork fared exceptionally with record prices for David Brown, Steven Cohen, Mohau Modisakeng, Moshekwa Langa, and Mikhael Subotzky.
Viewing
Friday 24 March 2017 | 10 am – 7 pm
Saturday 25 March 2017 | 10 am – 5 pm
Sunday 26 March 2017 | 10 am – 4 pm
HIGHLIGHTS
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