PIETER WENNING

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Cachet: The cachet shows a pencil self-portrait of Pieter Wenning rendered in loose, expressive strokes, his face turned slightly to the side with one hand resting thoughtfully near his chin. His hair and beard are drawn with quick, energetic lines that give the sketch real character and immediacy, consistent with the confident, unfussy style described as typical of his work. Above the portrait his name appears in an elegant white script, and below it a decorative banner reads "Skilder Painter 1873-1921", giving his working dates as an artist.

Info card

PIETER WENNING Pieter Willem Frederik Wenning was born on 9 September 1873 in The Hague in Holland. He was the eldest son of a Frisian family of artists. He received his first drawing lessons in Leeuwarden from H. Bubberman, and began developing an appreciation of Dutch painting. He obtained a post in the Dutch Railways and painted in his spare time. He was married in 1898. In 1902, because of his sympathy with workers who were on strike, he was dismissed from the Railways. During that same year he was employed by the firm of HAUM-de Bussy and was sent to South Africa during 1905 to work in its bookseller's shop in Pretoria. At this stage, Wenning began paying more attention to his art. He drew, did etchings and started using oils. His subjects were scenes in Pretoria, Johannesburg and its surroundings and later Cape Town. Wenning usually painted direct from nature. He was greatly influenced by the Hague school, the Japanese picture and he had an intense admiration of the South African landscape. Although his works were always on a small scale, his design and brush-strokes were bold and he did not concern himself with detail. In later years he used bright but restrained colours and concentrated on landscapes and still life subjects. He also painted a few self-portraits and studies of Blacks. Contributions from art lovers enabled the ailing Wenning to devote the last six years of his life entirely to his art. He died in Pretoria at the early age of 47. Two of his oil-paintings are depicted on a new series of stamps. They are Houses in the suburbs, Cape Town, in which he portrayed the little gabled Cape-Dutch houses amongst high, gnarled trees against a winter sky, and Still-life with sweet peas. These two pictures are repeated on the miniature sheet, which includes a self-portrait of the artist in oils. His colourful oil-painting entitled Durban Harbour is depicted on one of the commemorative envelopes whilst on the other a self-portrait — a sketch in his characteristic quick, sure style — appears. (With thanks to the Director, Pretoria Art Museum) PIETER WENNING Pieter Willem Frederik Wenning is op 9 September 1873 in Den Haag, Nederland gebore. Hy was die oudste seun van 'n Friese gesin uit 'n familie van kunstenaars. Hy kry sy eerste tekenlesse in Leeuwarden by H. Bubberman en ontwikkel ook 'n waardering vir die Nederlandse skilderkuns. Hy kry by die Nederlandse Spoorweë 'n betrekking en skilder in sy vrye tyd. In 1898 tree hy in die huwelik. In 1902 word hy, as gevolg van sy simpatie met die stakers, uit die Spoorweë ontslaan. In dieselfde jaar tree hy by die firma HAUM-de Bussy in diens, en in 1905 word hy deur hulle na Suid-Afrika gestuur om in hul boekhandel in Pretoria te kom werk. Hier bestee hy meer aandag aan sy kuns. Hy teken, doen etswerk en begin olieverf gebruik. Hy neem Pretoria, Johannesburg en omgewing, en later ook Kaapstad as sy onderwerpe. Wenning het gewoonlik direk uit die natuur geskilder. Hy is veral deur die werk van die Den Haagse skool, die Japanse prent en sy innige bewondering vir die Suid-Afrikaanse landskap beïnvloed. Hoewel sy kunswerke altyd op klein skaal gedoen is, is sy opset en kwaststreek breed en hy bemoei hom nie met fyn besonderhede nie. Veral later in sy lewe gebruik hy helder maar beheerste kleure en lê hom op landskappe en stillewes toe. Hy het egter ook 'n paar selfportrette en studies van Swartes geskep. Bydraes van kunsliefhebbers het die sieklike Wenning in staat gestel om hom die laaste ses jaar van sy lewe heeltemal aan sy kuns te wy. Hy is in die betreklik vroeë ouderdom van 47 jaar in Pretoria oorlede. Twee van sy olieverfskilderye word op 'n nuwe reeks seëls afgebeeld. Hulle is Huise in die voorstede, Kaapstad, waarin hy die Kaaps-Hollandse gewelhuisies tussen hoë, knoetserige bome teen 'n winterhemel uitbeeld, en Stillewe met pronkertjies. Op die miniatuurvel word hierdie twee afdrukke herhaal, en daarbenewens is 'n selfportret in olieverf ook daarop afgebeeld. Op een gedenkkoevert verskyn sy kleurvolle olieverfskildery Durban Hawe, en op die ander 'n selfportret — 'n sketse in sy kenmerkende vinnige, sekere styl. (Met dank aan die Direkteur, Pretoriase Kunsmuseum)

Additional information

This cover is postmarked on 6 May 1980 in Durban. The two stamps depict Wenning's oil paintings Houses in the Suburbs, Cape Town and Still-life with Sweet Peas, two works chosen to represent his mature style. Wenning trained as a railway clerk in the Netherlands before losing his job in 1902 for expressing sympathy with striking workers, a decision that indirectly led to his move to South Africa in 1905 to work in a Pretoria bookshop. It was only in South Africa that he turned seriously to painting, going on to become one of the country's most admired landscape artists despite dying at just 47.

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