Nita Spilhaus
German/South African 1878-1967
Poppies in a White Vase
signed with the artist's monogram
oil on board
48 by 38cm excluding frame; 63 by 53 by 4cm including frame

The outbreak of the First World War marked the beginning of a difficult period for Nita Spilhaus, a German immigrant and fond painter of statuesque trees in luscious Cape landscapes. Due to her German heritage, Spilhaus was cast down by the society that she had made her home, and after her brother was accused of being a German conspirator, she was asked by the police not to paint outdoors. As an en plein air artist at heart, Spilhaus, now bound to her studio, took reluctantly to painting portraits and still lifes instead of her usual verdant landscapes. Flowers soon became Spilhaus's favourite still life subject. She chose to paint small, delicate flowers over large, decorative ones. Poppies in a White Vase, illustrates the skilled craft of Spihaus's blooms, which, as Esmé Berman asserts, possess a sparkle of clean bright colour.'1 Art critic, Magda Sauer, comments further on Spilhaus's flower renditions that, 'no-one has produced better their fragile grace and freshness.'2

1. Esme Berman (1974) Art and Artists of South Africa, Cape Town: A.A. Balkema, page 281 and 282.
2. Magda (1959) 'Nita Spilhaus' in Our Art 1, Pretoria: Lantern, page 127-131.
Peter Elliott (2015) Nita Spilhaus, Cape Town: PeterElliot.