Leslie Albertyn (1931-2011)
INVESTMENT ART
Oil on Board painting by well known renowned South African artist Leslie Albertyn
Size with frame:74cm x 64cm (Beautiful exquisite frame)
Size excluding frame:50cm x 40cm
Title: Bosveld Naby Pretoria (written on the back of painting,please see attached picture)
Courier: I can safely courier to your door anywhere in South Africa at an extra R30
Biography: Leslie Albertyn (1931-2011)was a renowned Master oil painter who specialised in painting the beautiful landscapes of Southern Africa. This article honors the artist by uncovering the story behind his life and artwork which is of particular interest to the African collector and those interested in South African art.
Leslie, known by family and friends as Les, was born on 24 January 1931 in South Africa. According to Leslies grandson, Jean Hewetson, My grandfather painted since he was a child, and it was his only profession in life. He did not have any formal training in art or painting by any other painter. Painting was his passion from an early age; when he was young his parents were struggling financially and he helped support them by selling his paintings. He started painting full-time at the age of 17 around 1948/1949. I a8lso think he was influenced by his great grandfathers, Otto Landsburg, an internationally acclaimed artist from Germany and H O Jeppe, a pioneer in the diamond and gold industry in South Africa who was also a gifted artist.
Leslies widow, Sannie Albertyn, elaborated on the hardships Leslie had in the beginning When my husband first started painting he didnt have enough money to buy the real equipment to paint on, so he stole sheets from the beds to do his paintings.
Leslie lived in Bloemfontein for most of his life where he made a name for himself in the South African art circle. According to Sannie Albertyn, My husband exhibited his paintings at the Bloemfontein art exhibit show for 36 years. He was also awarded a diploma by the organisers of the show.
Leslies chosen medium to create his art was oil paint and he painted on both canvas and board. His main subject was South African landscape scenes in nature and he would often paint old Cape Dutch homesteads, gum trees, aloe trees ,rocks or native huts into his landscapes.
It is easy to identify an L. Albertyn painting based on the unique style he had... The fine detail emphasis his versatility and proves his mastery in painting landscapes. Leslie was able to capture the moment with such realism and vibrant colours, thus bringing the scene to life in the eye of the observer.In addition to landscapes, Leslie also painted seascape beach scenes.Leslie always signed his paintings with L. AlbERTYN in the bottom corner (left or right side) and in some of his paintings he also included the year in which the painting was created, by either referencing the full year YYYY, or just the last two digits of the year YY. What makes his signature unique is that he chose to keep the letters l and b of his surname in lower case, while the rest of the letters are in upper case (capitals)
addition to his paintings, Leslie made frames and repaired damaged paintings. He was also an assessor for paintings of other artists.His art that he collected are Abstracts, Ballet, Bistre, Clowns, Dreams, Faces Amongst Flowers, Fishermen, Fishermans Houses,Harvesters, Interiors, Landscapes, Linocuts, Monotypes, Musical instruments, Sculptures, Seascapes, Still Life and Various other topics by well known artists Gregoire Bonzaair , Pieter wenning , Father (Frans Claerhout) and many more artists...According to Leslies grandson, Jean Hewetson, He gave art classes to many students during his lifetime. He tried to teach me and my child to paint, but I am not a painter.
Leslie passed away from a stroke on 28 November 2011. He was still painting and creating art right up until the time of his passing. Today, the name L. Albertyn is well-known and his oil paintings are highly sought after.
