PHOTOS: Sean Calitz | PRODUCTION: Etienne Hanekom | WORDS: Mirelle Leyden
This Cape-based artist paints botanicals so lifelike, you can almost smell the fynbos.
Most paintings with flowers as their subject matter tend to remind us of what we’re bound to inherit from Gran one day, whether or not we’d like to. But Kurt Pio’s botanical paintings are different.
Using various media, he draws inspiration from the imperfections in and unpredictability of nature. Then he combines his own contemporary painting style with classic artistic techniques used in botanical paintings in the early 20th century.
Kurt’s penchant for bringing nature to life on canvas was something he stumbled on ‘while in the process of finding his niche’. A keen interiors fundi, he first tried his hand at interior decorating – only to discover he really preferred to create the actual decorations!
When Cécile & Boyd’s revamped their Durban store and extended their product line last year, Kurt was commissioned to do a series of botanical paintings for the final decorative touch. That’s when he realised he was intrigued with the genre, plus, when almost all his paintings were sold at that relaunch party, it confirmed for him that this artistic route had plenty of growth potential.
It’s widely acknowledged that South Africa is blessed with one of the most diverse floral kingdoms in the world, so it’s no surprise that Kurt finds plenty of inspiration painting indigenous plants: ‘It’s as if South Africans are allowing themselves to look at their own beauty and the immense beauty of their country again, without feeling guilty about their past. We’re allowing ourselves to be proud and feel infatuated with what we see.
Which is why the present climate is perfect for South African-themed art,’ he says. While portraying his floral subjects realistically, Kurt’s paintings also contain a whimsical element that blurs the lines between fact and fiction, making them more interesting.
Kurt Pio: 083 687 84122
