Peter Clarke

Peter Clarke (South African, born 1929) Please don't do that signed and dated 'Clarke / 26. Oct. 1975' (lower right) acrylic on paper 48 x 63cm (18 7/8 x 24 13/16in). Despite a dynamic career spanning over sixty years, Peter Clarke has only over the past decade achieved due recognition of his contribution to South African art, most recently in his first solo exhibition at the Standard Bank Gallery, Johannesburg (2011), followed by an extensive retrospective at IZIKO South African National Gallery in (2011-2012) and currently a solo show at the Institute of International Visual Arts in London. Alongside works which document the social injustice and degradation of apartheid, his prints and paintings, drawings and collages also offer a celebration of the everyday: of life, of love, and of laughter. The current lot reflects Clarke's concern with capturing light-hearted, ordinary moments. A man rocks the hammock in which a woman rests, startling her to the sudden injunction "Please don't do that!" Movement is suggested through the repeated brushstrokes around the hammock and the prankster, creating a sense of movement or visual blur. With its vivid complementary hues – yellow and purple, orange and blue – the work reflects Clarke's reputation as a master colorist. As Lize van Robbroeck remarks of Clarke's best paintings, "these paintings are vibrant, glowing with strong colour and a dynamic thrust... This contrast between idyllic subject matter and restless, almost violent formal language makes for particularly engaging and compelling viewing." L. Van Robbroeck, 'Listening to distant thunder: The art of Peter Clarke', South African Journal of Science , (Volume 108, 2012), pp.5-6. p.5

Peter Clarke (1929- ) COUPLE EMBRACING linocut on paper signed, dated 18-11-1966 and numbered with edition 14/19 in pencil 15 by 19cm.

Peter Clarke (South African, born after 1929-) Before the boxing match signed and dated 'Clarke/ Dec. 1952' (lower right), watercolour 32.5 x 24cm (12 13/16 x 9 7/16in).

PETER CLARKE (SOUTH AFRICAN, BORN 1929) Trampoline 1965 linocut 9/12 40 x 25cm

PETER CLARKE (SOUTH AFRICAN, BORN 1929) The Brothers 1959 linocut 30/30 19 x 16.5cm