SASHA HARTSLIEF (1974 - )
Sasha Hartslief was born on the 26th March 1974 and raised in Gauteng. At the age of seventeen, she came to Cape Town to study English and Philosophy at UCT. Passionate about drawing from an early age she is largely self-taught closely observing other artists and avidly reading up on technique.
Hartslief had always been passionate about drawing, but the desire to become an artist only crystallised into a decision in 1995, when she enrolled at Cape College under the tutelage of Elizabeth Gunter.
Gunter specialised in classical drawing and introduced Hartslief to the textbook The Natural Way to Draw by Kimon Nicolaides, a Greek art teacher and master of drawing, who devoted his life to documenting exercises that facilitate the shift in perception required to accurately represent an objective form.
During her studies Hartslief devoted as much as five hours a day to his exercises. She would draw at every possible opportunity, whether in shopping malls or Government Avenue, and pasted a quotation from Nicolaides above her easel to remind herself:
“If I were asked what one thing more than any other would teach a student how to draw, I should answer: Drawing – incessantly, furiously, painstakingly drawing.”
Although she was blessed with an innate & prodigious talent for painting, she also has the more rare penchant for hard work. Consequently Hartslief has a well-earned a reputation as a highly skilful draftsman. Her subjects are often viewed from a philosophical, deeply personal perspective, resulting in striking works that are emotionally charged, pensive in mood and considered in composition. Her subtle investigations into the human condition via the underbelly of Cape Town life somehow strike a chord with us.
Since 1999, Hartslief has exhibited regularly at The Everard Read Gallery, Cape Town, including two solo exhibitions in May 2001 and in May 2004. She continues to attract a broad collector base from around the world and is clearly one of South Africa’s most exciting young talents.
