Maggie Laubser's expressionistic paintings do not attempt to portray reality. They should always be appreciated as a personal expression of her unique view of the harmony of colours and forms in, as she called it, 'the miracle of creation'. Her paintings have often been criticized for being naïve and childlike, but these critics miss the spiritual undertone of her work, where she strives to celebrate and praise the harmonious qualities of the Earth, and all life on it, under a benevolent Creator. She is quoted in a 1939 interview, as saying that 'The privilege of bearing witness to these things in my simple way deeply satisfies me'.

Maria Magdelena (Maggie) Laubser was born on the farm 'Bloublommetjieskloof' in the Malmesbury distric...