Portfolio
An Instinctive Contemporary Artist
“As I venture forward in life, the way that I look and perceive my subjects changes and manifests itself profoundly in the mood and atmosphere of the artworks.”
“Capturing movement and drama”
Hennie’s early expressive paintings were characterised by bold, confident brushstrokes complemented by a rich impasto technique. His subject matter and models varied, capturing the movement, drama and colourful aspects of the animals, people and cultures encountered in his travels throughout Southern Africa. His subjects were drenched in the African sun and his canvasses portrayed a wide range of indigenous life; from the essence of intimate moments or memories shared, to the expressive energy of stampeding herds and ritual dance.
“Progressively gravitating towards greater abstraction”
His style has progressively gravitated towards greater abstraction, not in its purest form, but rendered in a fragmented style of richly coloured, angular, hard-edged forms, restructured to capture the energy and mood of complex compositions.
“Culminating into a unique style that projects energy, rhythm and harmony”
The artist’s fascination with the energy, rhythm and harmony of dance has been at the forefront of his development in recent years. The establishment of a distinctive technique and style, adapted to his range of subject matter, underpins the uniqueness of Hennie Niemann Jnr’s paintings.
“Dance, as a form of wordless communication and storytelling, it is so deeply rooted in this continent. The dancer’s body becomes a universal language, which gives me more material than I could ever use”.
