AGAC Top 25 Finalist - Cobus Erasmus - Blue

Top 25 Finalist in the AGAC 2023

- Artist: Cobus Erasmus

- Name: Blue

- Size: 1200 mm x 1000 mm

- Medium: Oil on cotton duck canvas

- Price: R13,000

- Framed

Cobus is a full-time South African Artist and he has been awarded as a Top 25 Finalist in the ARTi Gallery Art Competition 2023!  

About this piece: 

My artwork features a man playing a guitar in a room, with Picasso's iconic "The Old Guitarist" painting hanging in the background. Predominantly, I've employed a rich palette of blue tones to convey my artistic vision. 

About the Artist: 

I'm Cobus Erasmus a South African artist, born in 1994. While my academic journey initially led me to Civil Engineering at the University of Pretoria, where I earned my degree in 2018, my artistic spark ignited over two decades ago.

My Grade 1 teacher recognized my constant doodling in class, and as coincidence would have it she was married to a professional artist who then became my first art instructor. This early encounter with a seasoned artist fueled the spark of my artistic passion. Throughout my adolescence and engineering studies, painting and drawing were constants, even if they lingered mostly in the background.

It wasn't until my final year at university that I embraced painting with discipline, which rekindled my enthusiasm for art. Encouraged and surprised by the positive feedback and my mother's support, I decided to give my artistic dreams a chance.

In 2019, I embarked on a journey to Florence, Italy, immersing myself in a year of art at the Florence Classical Art Academy, steeped in the Russian Impressionist Art Tradition. The academy's focus on academic rigor equipped me with fundamental painting skills and a structured approach to my craft.

The challenges of 2020, marked by the omnipresence of the COVID-19 virus, unexpectedly provided me with the opportunity to paint full-time. Surprisingly, clients started reaching out, and with humble beginnings, I began selling a few pieces here and there. This encouraged me to make the definitive decision to pursue art full-time.

Furthermore, earlier this year (2023), I spent four enriching months at August House in Doornfontein, Johannesburg, one of South Africa's oldest artist residencies. Living and working alongside artists from diverse cultures largely expanded the horizons of my artistic perspective.

I am now based in Pretoria and work full-time from my apartment.