Erich Mayer

Full name: Ernst Karl Erich Mayer

Lifespan: 1876 Germany - 1960 Pretoria [84]

Occupation: Artist

Primary Mediums: Watercolors, oil paintings, sketches, and woodcuts.

Key Subjects: Highveld landscapes, rural farm life, Baobab trees (Kremetartbome), vernacular architecture.

Erich Mayer²

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Timeline

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Early Life & Architectural Beginnings

Ernst Karl Erich Mayer was born on April 19, 1876, in Karlsruhe, Germany. He was awarded a bursary to study architecture at Charlottenburg Technische Hochschule (Berlin) from 1894-1896. He had to end his studies in 1896 due to illness, Seeking a warmer, healthier climate to aid his recovery, Mayer immigrated to South Africa in 1898 and initially found work as an assistant land-surveyor in Vrede, Free State.

Technische Universität Berlin. Image source: Industriekultur.

Wartime Confinements and Exile

When the Anglo-Boer War broke out in 1899, he actively joined a Boer commando unit. He spent his nights sketching the local farmers and landscapes. He was eventually captured by the British forces at Mafikeng in 1900 and sent to the remote island of St Helena (Deadwood Camp) as a Prisoner of War, where he spent his days refining his watercolor skills.

• Deadwood Camp was a major Prisoner of War (POW) camp on the island of St Helena, where the British detained around 5,000 Boer prisoners during the Anglo-Boer War.  The camp was opened in April 1900 on a windy, exposed plateau. It consisted of rows of canvas tents surrounded by triple barbed-wire fences and guarded by patrolling British soldiers.

Mayer's sketches of Deadwood Camp on St Helena.

Mayer and his fellow prisoners arrived in Jamestown late that June (1900), joining the already considerable number of Boer men confined to the rows of sagging military tents and makeshift shacks. Typically, Mayer wasted little time recording the conditions, characters and events around him, always in his small-scale, charming and straightforward style.⁷

From the book "Erich Mayer - Op St Helena - Vol van Hartepyn" by Celestine Pretorius (2000)

"Volgens Mayer se dagboek het hy nie onmiddellik ná die uitbreek van die oorlog by die Boeremagte aangesluit nie. Maar na twee maande kon hy dit nie meer uithou nie. Hy het na landdros Bornman op Vrede gegaan. "Wat is jou begeerte?" word aan hom gevra. "Ek wil na die front gaan." "Met die ambulansafdeling?" vra die landdros. "Nee," antwoord Mayer skertsend, "as oorlogskilder."

Mayer skryf dat hy per donkiekar na Standerton as daarvandaan in 'n oorvol trein oor Elandsfontein na Pretoria gereis het. In Duitsland was Mayer weens swak gesondheid as permanent onbekwaam vir militêre diens gesertifiseer. Die eerste weke op kommando het hy hom dus weerhou van gevaar, maar gou het hy 'n aktiewe rol begin speel deur wag te staan en patrolliediens te onderneem.

Hy het hom by genl. Botha se kommando's in Natal bevind. Op 9 Desember 1899 het hulle naby Ladysmith aangekom. Hy het talle waterverfportrette van vriende en offisiere gemaak, wat hy almal aan hulle geskenk het. Soms het hy die sketse geruil vir koffie, suiker en dergelike items, maar hy kon dit nooit oor sy hart kry om geldelike munt uit die burgers te slaan nie."⁷

Camp site, St Helena (1901) Image source: Strauss Art.

Daily life at St Helena

Because he was a German national fighting alongside the Boers, the British repatriated him to Germany in December of 1902.

A portion of 'Chessboard'. "Sketched and executed during a 3 weeks parol (Vrede - Orange Free State) in Oktober 1900." Image source: Artsy.

He spent the years between 1904 and 1911 alternating between South West Africa and Europe, using the time to receive formal fine art training in Karlsruhe and Stuttgart. He returned to South Africa permanently in 1911. However, despite fighting for his adopted homeland and living there for decades, he was interned for 21 months at Fort Napier in Pietermaritzburg during WWI, and faced internment yet again during WWII because of his German birth.

Self portrait (1919)

Artistic Style and Subjects

Because of his architectural background, his drawings have a strict, highly detailed drafting precision. This makes his depictions of simple farm cottages, folk furniture, and local clothing invaluable to architectural historians. Many of his most prized landscapes were actually quite small, focusing on the subtle tones of the Highveld bush and Namaqualand. He also became famous for capturing the ancient, twisted essence of the northern Baobab trees. To capture these scenes, he and his wife spent much of the 1920s living a nomadic lifestyle, traveling the rural countryside in a caravan.

Baobab Tree (1915). Image source: Invaluable.

"Transvaalse Bosveldwoning, noord van Brits, volgens Voortrekkertradisie gebou" 'n Bootvormige hartbeeshuis waarvan die onderste gedeelte van die dakmure binne en buite gepleister is. As gevolg van die skuins gewelvlak, is die deur na binne ingelaat, terwyl die pale vir die tuitjie by twee van die gewelpaalvoete ingeplant is. (1927). Image source: Nasionale Kultuurhistoriese Museum, HG 7014, 311.⁴

Agter die Soutpansberg (1929) Erich Mayer's recording of a dwelling of a white farmer. The small drawing of the farmstead indicates the location of the rondavel in relation to a multiple room dwelling. Image source: National Cultural History Museum, Pretoria.⁵

Mayer didn't just paint; he was a philosopher who actively campaigned for South Africa to find its own artistic voice rather than copying European trends. In 1916, he delivered revolutionary papers advocating for an authentic local aesthetic. After settling permanently in Pretoria in 1931, Mayer became close friends with the legendary JH Pierneef. He actually taught Pierneef and Pieter Wenning the delicate art of woodcut printing. To further refine his technical craft, Mayer traveled to Florence, Italy, from 1935 to 1936 to study painting under masters Galileo Chini and Pietro Annigoni.

Two lady figure (1926). Image source: Absolut Art Gallery.

While famous for small frames, he also created grand public art, including large-scale commissioned murals inside the Jeppe Street Post Office in Johannesburg and the dining room of Monument High School in Krugersdorp.

Sketch for Die Besembos (c.1930s), a PUK student publication / studenteblad... "daardie kanniedood veldplant uit Burgersdorp en die Karoo-wêreld"³

San art, Pierneef, and national identity

In all branches of Art in South Africa there is a movement afoot to create a style of our own. For though the appreciation of Art is international, the creation of all great Art has always been national, especially in its foundations. (Mayer, 1922)¹³

From the early 1920s, various prominent South African artists, crafters and interior decorators displayed an interest in San parietal art... Pierneef and Erich Mayer. "I am firmly convinced that Sir Cullinan's pottery at Olifantsfontein would have proved a great success, had they but been able to employ an artist of taste and imagination, who out of different kaffir pots [sic], combined with Bushman art and other South African indigenous art elements, would have developed a distinctly S.A. style."⁶

"After Erich Mayer came to Pretoria in October 1912, he and Pierneef became close friends. Mayer not only discussed matters of artistic style with him, but also introduced Pierneef to the work of contemporary European modernists such as Swiss painter Ferdinand Hodler (1853-1918) and the Jugendstil which would show the way to Pierneef’s new style. Mayer also made Pierneef aware of the importance of San rock art in developing his style."¹⁰

• The Jugendstil (the German branch of Art Nouveau, popular from the late 1890s to the 1910s) had a profound impact on South African art. Its influence did not arrive as a direct copy of European trends; instead, it acted as the catalyst that helped early 20th-century South African artists invent a distinct national aesthetic. Because pioneers like Erich Mayer and J.H. Pierneef were deeply tied to German design principles, Jugendstil principles directly shaped how the South African landscape, flora, and indigenous crafts were documented and stylized. A core philosophy of Jugendstil was the Gesamtkunstwerk (the total work of art). It argued that "high art" (painting) and "low art" (crafts, furniture, textiles) should merge to express a unified cultural identity. Erich Mayer used this exact philosophy to argue that South Africa needed to stop importing British Victorian decor and instead look inward.

In early 1913, Mayer and Pierneef visited the Union Building's construction site together to sketch it. Mayer's two works are so close in style to Pierneef’s that they were originally thought to be by him and were catalogued as such by the University of Pretoria.¹⁰

Uniegebou voor die voltooiing. Pen and watercolour (1913). University of Pretoria Art Collection.

"The formulation of a distinctive South African identity, and a national style in the visual arts, was promoted by artists including Erich Mayer... who argued lucidly for the establishment of a South African 'style' based on a multifaceted integration of indigenous art, particularly in the applied arts sector."⁶

Rock Painting with Eland by Mayer. Watercolour and pencil on paper. Image source: Artsy.

"While motivating an essentialised vision, Mayer vocally criticised the use of stereotypical reproductions of images that had overt nationalistic, patriotic or picturesque allusions, such as the springbok, proteas and Zulu rickshaw 'boys'".⁶

"Mayer rallied for an indigenous aesthetic based on the integration of indigenous African and 'Bushman' designs and forms. He saw the potential of the application of African and San motifs to pottery as early as 1922."⁶

"Pierneef's interest in San parietal art was stimulated by his friendships with Erich Mayer and Coert Steynberg."⁶

Mayer distinguishes between the "most universally human art practice" — which owes its existence to a love for humanity and the whole of creation — and the "most national art practice," which in turn owes its existence to a love for one's own country and nation. To the latter, he also repeatedly refers as volkskuns (folk art/people's art).

According to Mayer, volkskuns consists of three types or developmental stages:

1. The first stage consists of a naive expression of the need to make something beautiful; this is found among all nations and already appears during the lowest stage of a nation's development.
2. The second stage is found when a nation becomes conscious of its own unique identity (eiesoortigheid) and this finds form in its art. This is art of the people, for the people, and among the examples he presents are, among others, "painted and sculpted monuments."
3. The third stage is encountered in highly developed cultures, and this is art in which the artist's own feelings or that which relates to "the whole of humanity" find expression, yet over time still demonstrates a thorough kinship with a national possession or approach.
   
   
   Mayer's approach therefore makes provision for volkskuns from a low to a highly developed level, and by "nation" (volk), he means the ethnological concept.¹⁰

Opinions on a national architecture

In his December 1922 lecture published in Building, Erich Mayer outlines a vision for a distinct South African architectural style by focusing on local history, climate, and materials.

Mayer argues that historical styles, like the Cape Dutch homestead, are a synthesis of varied cultures, noting it combined Dutch, German, and French Huguenot influences with local climatic needs.

He emphasizes that architecture must match its physical setting, highlighting J.H. Pierneef’s observation that the unique farmhouses developed in the Transvaal harmonize perfectly with wide plains and lonely kopjes. Following the ideas of architect Gordon Leith, Mayer notes that architectural character should stem from geographic reality. He advocates for features like thatched roofs, small windows, broad covered verandahs, and vaults to combat South Africa’s dry heat.

He laments the modern commercial age where building forms and materials are imported globally rather than sourced from the surrounding environment.

Mayer notes the popular use of the thatched rondavel but critiques modern city builders for leaving single rondavel houses completely isolated from their architectural surroundings. To create space and architectural harmony, he suggests using long, enclosing white walls, gates, and terrace walls. He points to old Cape farms (like in Stellenbosch and Paarl) and historical examples from Florence, Italy, as proofs of how plain walls add charm and sweep away "ugly imported machine-made fences".

He stresses that architects should not be ashamed to learn from lower races (sic). He urges designers to look at the geometry and simple ornaments found on local pottery (like Pretoria and Rustenburg clay pots) to add authentic South African character to plain building surfaces without resorting to meaningless, conventional European friezes.¹³

The Arts & Crafts Movement

In the early decades of the 20th century, a rising sense of national pride drove cultural figures like J.H. Pierneef, Gerard Moerdijk, Anton van Wouw, and Erich Mayer to actively seek out and codify a distinct South African identity.

To achieve this, they found an ally in the principles of the European Arts and Crafts movement. Although that movement originally grew out of a colonial era sensibility, its core philosophy was universally adaptable. Across Europe, nationalism frequently involved reviving local folklore, native languages, traditional folk crafts, and vernacular architecture. Because the Arts and Crafts movement fiercely championed handcrafted tradition, a strict craft ethic, and native design, it provided the perfect blueprint for these artists to build an individual, national style.

Using this framework, Pierneef, Mayer, and Moerdijk attempted to formulate a "boerestyl". By blending European craft ethics with indigenous African influences and local folk art, they resurrected public pride in local, vernacular traditions and reshaped the South African design landscape.

"Obviously South Africa never experienced the Middle Ages, but I would suggest that Arts and Crafts encouraged the search for appropriate images to encapsulate a burgeoning South African consciousness and style in the early twentieth century. It is thus possible to a certain extent to bring together two seemingly opposing strands in South African history, namely that of a British-inspired Arts and Crafts, and a South African nationalism as championed by people such as H. Pierneef, E. Mayer and G. Moerdijk."¹⁴

Voortrekker Monument

"Mnr. Gerard Moerdyk, argitek van die Voortrekkermonument, het eerste vir Erich Mayer genader om die Historiese Fries te skilder. Die tydperk wat hy Mayer sou toelaat om die taak te voltooi, en veral die vergoeding van slegs £200, was egter gladnie voldoende nie. In 'n brief van mev. Marga Mayer sê sy "Erich het toe openhartig en reguit soos hy altyd was, gesê: "Jy het nie die flouste benul wat 'n historiese fries behels nie. Ek gooi nie my naam weg om 'n paar versinsels op die mure te krabbel vir £200 nie."⁹

Criticism

"In striking contrast, we get Erich Mayer whose pen and ink figures lose in vitality what they gain in accuracy. If he would let himself go, the result might be interesting. His set of tiles and of illustrations with South African motifs show a talent for decoration and some skill in applying it."¹¹ (1931)

"Erich Mayer is becoming somewhat broader in his treatment and has attained to considerable proficiency in his Boer studies. He is such a hard worker that one sympathises, almost perforce oneself, with his work."¹² (1932)

"Erich Mayer is reduced to a shack among the Mine Dumps for a subject. Where are his Boer Romances?" (SAAR, 1934)

Spouse

Mayer married Margaretha "Marga" Johanna Mayer-Gutter (1898 Netherlands - after 1976) in 1928.

Marga Mayer-Gutter with and example of her embroidery. (1976)

Originally trained in the Netherlands in childcare, she was a weaver, educator, and a key figure in the mid-20th-century South African arts and crafts movement.  Inspired by Emily Hobhouse's initiatives to empower impoverished women after the Anglo-Boer War, Marga trained in spinning and weaving. She taught these skills to local women from her home in Sunnyside, Pretoria, providing them with an independent income.

Erich Mayer often created the motifs, which Marga executed in her tapestries, cushion covers, and woven goods.  Her work is highly regarded for its adaptation of indigenous southern African culture.

She was one of the first textile artists to translate San (Bushman) rock art and primitive designs into woven tapestries and Drostdy ware pottery. She operated the Lady Clarendon Spinning and Weaving which produced carpets and weavings that were decorated with motifs derived from San parietal art. She and Erich were close friends and mentors to other South African artists like Walter Battiss and J.H. Pierneef.

Eland imagery was also extensively repeated in the designs by Erich Mayer that were used for carpets and weavings by Marga J. Mayer-Gutter's business, the Lady Clarendon Spinning and Weaving. These hand-spun, hand-woven items were widely toured and displayed in galleries and arts and crafts associations.

Mayer designed cartoons of San parietal art that were used by Linnware. It is likely that Mayer's designs were used by the Linnware studio in 1934, when they produced Bushman tiles to decorate the Native Commissioner's Building, Pretoria.⁶

• Linn Ware (Linnware) was a South African studio pottery enterprise based in Olifantsfontein, outside Johannesburg. Operating from 1943 to roughly 1962, the studio produced hand-made earthenware.

Mayer's house in Emily Hobhouse St, Pretoria North.

Honors and Passing

In 1943, he was awarded the Medal of Honour for Painting by the Suid-Afrikaanse Akademie vir Wetenskap en Kuns. Mayer passed away in Pretoria on November 27, 1960, at the age of 84. His contribution to the country's heritage was later honored in 1972 with a retrospective exhibition at the Pretoria Art Museum.

In 1976 a commemorative stamp series of his work was released.

1976 commemorative stamp series. "Vir Erich Mayer was die kultuur sy kuns en sy kuns is verrykende kultuur. Ek vind dit dan ook besonder gepas dat daar op 20 April vier gedenkseels ter ere van hom uitgereik sal word, naamlik 5c, 10c, 15c, en 20c seels". (Piet Koornhof, 1976).  Image source: Ebay.

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Sources

1. n.a. Erich Mayer. Mutual Art.
2. HS Monument on Instagram.
3. Sages en Legendes.
4. Raath, J.J. (2001) Oorsprong en manifestasie van die Suid-Afrikaanse hartbees- of dakhuis. (thesis)
5. Naude, M. (n.d.) A legacy of rondavels and rondavel houses in the northern interior of South Africa. (article)
6. Gers, W.A. (2000) South African studio ceramics, c. 1950s. (thesis)
7. Pretorius, C. (2000) Erich Mayer - Op St Helena - Vol van Hartepyn.
8. Stauss & Co.
9. De Beer, A. (1969) Die lewe en werk van die skilder W.H. Coetzer. (thesis)
10. Duffey, A. (2010) Pierneef and the Union Buildings. De Arte.
11. Lefebvre, D. (1931) The South African Institute of Art Exhibition. SAAR, Dec 1931.
12. Lefebvre, D. (1932) The Thirteenth South African Academy. SAAR, Dec 1931.
13. Mayer, E. (1922) Wanted: A distinctly South African art. Building, Dec 1922.
14. Van Eeden, J. (1996) The influence of Arts & Crafts ideology in South Africa. Journal of Cultural History.