Andre Keyser

Andr? Keyser (1938) was born in Pretoria, matriculated in Johannesburg and studied at Wits and at the University of Pretoria, qualifying with a PhD in geology and palaeontology from the University of the Witwatersrand. A palaeontologist with the Geological Survey, Andr?, retired, used to spend much of his time digging in the sunburnt soil of the South African veld. ?Painting is a compulsion with me, but I don?t paint for the sake of painting. I paint landscapes in a realistic manner to show the viewer the real beauty of our country. Art in painting, to me, is portraying reality in two dimensions. When painting a scene in front of me, I sometimes wonder whether I am an artist or a technician. It is difficult to paint the smell of the earth after the rain, but this is what I try to express and communicate to the viewer. It is less difficult to portray the vegetation, the trees, the soil and the clouds above as they appear in a particular setting. What is important to me is that nature must be depicted in the correct manner; it must be harmonious, yet scientifically correct. ?The media I use also play a role in my art. I know how paint is made. I know the ingredients and I make a point of choosing my colours according to their chemical composition to ensure stability. Some colours are highly poisonous, like Prussian blue. Others change their colour after a few years. Flake white becomes grey and eventually turns black and some greens turn brown. Many artists don?t know this; others don?t care. I would like my paintings to last forever.?