War-time oil on canvas painting of Zulu life around the gold mines in Africa, painted on canvas by listed artists Ernest Knight (1915-1995), c. 1945. A majesty to the environment and undeniably inseparable from habitation, the African landscape provided Knight with a diverse backdrop for artistic study. The constantly shifting sands and light create a scorching shadow-wrapped vista. Here, situated amidst craggy cliffs can be seen a shadowed city behind the busy blue tinted refinery shown in the foreground. Surrounded by throngs of figures, it is the central point of operations.
The painting measures 15 inches high x 19 ½ inches wide (sight), 24 ½ inches high x 28 ⅞ inches wide (framed).
Condition: It is in Excellent Vintage Condition.
Artist Biography: KNIGHT, Ernest Griest (1915-1995) Born in London, Knight studied art at the Brighton and Chelsea Schools of Art , taking after his grandfather, painter Ernest Griest. Stationed near the African gold mines during the war he would later move here with his wife, settling further South in Rhodesia. Taking frequent paintings trips back to his native country in Dartmoor, he became well known for his paintings of the West Country coast and countryside. Knight exhibited at the Royal Society of Oil Painters and the Royal Society of Marine Artists. Some of his works were used in illustrations and calendars, particularly in the 1950’s.
