Alexis Preller
Encyclopedia
Alexis Preller was a South African painter. He trained at the Westminster School of Art
from which he graduated in 1934 and later at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière
in Paris (1937).
He was especially influenced by Vincent van Gogh
and Paul Gauguin
and visited European galleries and museums to study these artists' works. Elements of Gauguin can be seen in his paintings on South African subjects such as the Garden of Eden (1937). Over time, he developed his own style and his works showed an array of elements from nature, African masks and other African art. One finds this overlay of his personal style on African themes most illuminatingly expressed in works such as Basuto Allegory (1947). Travels in Europe and North Africa gave further expression to his output which became influenced by the frescoes of Piero della Francesca
and Egyptian murals. One sees this influence in works such as Hieratic Women (1956).
Preller's later unique style isolated him from the artistic movements of the 20th century, nor did he fit into any conventional style of the old school. Although highly regarded in his native Pretoria, this was not initially the case elsewhere in South Africa - an exhibition of his works in Cape Town in the late 1960s was coolly received by art critics there.
Recognition for his work has grown since then, and the opening of the most recent major exhibition, Africa,the Sun and the Shadows of his works at Johannesburg's Standard Bank Gallery on 13 October 2009 was strongly attended.
Westminster School of Art
The Westminster School of Art was an art school in Westminster, London. It was located at 18 Tufton Street, Deans Yard, Westminster, and was part of the old Architectural Museum.H. M. Bateman described it in 1903 as...
from which he graduated in 1934 and later at the Académie de la Grande Chaumière
Académie de la Grande Chaumière
The Académie de la Grande Chaumière is an art school in the VIe arrondissement of Paris, France. The school was founded in 1902 by the Swiss Martha Stettler , who refused to teach the strict academic rules of painting of the École des Beaux-Arts. It opened the way to the "Art Indépendant"...
in Paris (1937).
He was especially influenced by Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
and Paul Gauguin
Paul Gauguin
Eugène Henri Paul Gauguin was a leading French Post-Impressionist artist. He was an important figure in the Symbolist movement as a painter, sculptor, print-maker, ceramist, and writer...
and visited European galleries and museums to study these artists' works. Elements of Gauguin can be seen in his paintings on South African subjects such as the Garden of Eden (1937). Over time, he developed his own style and his works showed an array of elements from nature, African masks and other African art. One finds this overlay of his personal style on African themes most illuminatingly expressed in works such as Basuto Allegory (1947). Travels in Europe and North Africa gave further expression to his output which became influenced by the frescoes of Piero della Francesca
Piero della Francesca
Piero della Francesca was a painter of the Early Renaissance. As testified by Giorgio Vasari in his Lives of the Artists, to contemporaries he was also known as a mathematician and geometer. Nowadays Piero della Francesca is chiefly appreciated for his art. His painting was characterized by its...
and Egyptian murals. One sees this influence in works such as Hieratic Women (1956).
Preller's later unique style isolated him from the artistic movements of the 20th century, nor did he fit into any conventional style of the old school. Although highly regarded in his native Pretoria, this was not initially the case elsewhere in South Africa - an exhibition of his works in Cape Town in the late 1960s was coolly received by art critics there.
Recognition for his work has grown since then, and the opening of the most recent major exhibition, Africa,the Sun and the Shadows of his works at Johannesburg's Standard Bank Gallery on 13 October 2009 was strongly attended.