Leslie John Albertyn (1931-2011) – South African Artist

Leslie-John Albertyn was a renowned Master oil painter who specialised in painting the beautiful landscapes of Southern Africa. This article honors the artist by uncovering the story behind his life and artwork which is of particular interest to the African collector and those interested in South African art.

Leslie, known by family and friends as Les, was born on 24 January 1931 in South Africa. According to Leslie’s grandson, Jean Hewetson, “My grandfather painted since he was a child, and it was his only profession in life. He did not have any formal training in art or painting by any other painter. Painting was his passion from an early age; when he was young his parents were struggling financially and he helped support them by selling his paintings. He started painting full-time at the age of 17 around 1948/1949. I also think he was influenced by his great grandfathers, Otto Landsburg, an internationally acclaimed artist from Germany and H O Jeppe, a pioneer in the diamond and gold industry in South Africa who was also a gifted artist.”

Leslie’s widow, Sannie Albertyn, elaborated on the hardships Leslie had in the beginning “When my husband first started painting he didn’t have enough money to buy the real equipment to paint on, so he stole sheets from the beds to do his paintings.”

Leslie lived in Bloemfontein for most of his life where he made a name for himself in the South African art circle. According to Sannie Albertyn, “My husband exhibited his paintings at the Bloemfontein art exhibit show for 36 years. He was also awarded a diploma by the organisers of the show.”

Leslie’s chosen medium to create his art was oil paint and he painted on both canvas and board. His main subject was South African landscape scenes in nature and he would often paint old Cape Dutch homesteads, gum trees, aloe trees or native huts into his landscapes.

It is easy to identify an ”L. Albertyn” painting based on the unique style he had. The painting below depicts an old Cape Dutch Homestead near the town of Ashton, Cape Town. The fine detail emphasis his versatility and proves his mastery in painting landscapes. Leslie was able to capture the moment with such realism and vibrant colours, thus bringing the scene to life in the eye of the observer.

Leslie also had a great talent for painting trees. The painting below illustrates this.

The painting below illustrates a rural scene with wind blowing through the grass and some native huts in the background. A truly South African painting.

In addition to landscapes, Leslie also painted seascape beach scenes. Below is a good example of a large seascape painting Leslie created. The painting depicts a seascape beach scene with notable South African Flora; such as aloes and banana trees. The incredible detailing and beautiful brush strokes make this amazing painting a true masterpiece that would look fantastic as the center piece in any home.

Here is another stunning painting Leslie did of Table Mountain as seen from Bloubergstrand. The painting is entitled “Die skoonheid van die see – Bloubergstrand”. Once again, he has managed to capture a clear Western Cape day at the beach so beautifully and with such realism.

Leslie even created grayscale paintings, using only black and white oil paint.

Leslie always signed his paintings with “L. AlbERTYN” in the bottom corner (left or right side) and in some of his paintings he also included the year in which the painting was created, by either referencing the full year – “YYYY”, or just the last two digits of the year – “YY”. What makes his signature unique is that he chose to keep the letters “l” and “b” of his surname in lower case, while the rest of the letters are in upper case (capitals). An example of his signature can be seen below.

Leslie created a large production of oil paintings during his lifetime. Some examples of these can be seen in the slide show below.

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In addition to his paintings, Leslie made frames and repaired damaged paintings. He was also an assessor for paintings of other artists. According to Leslie’s grandson, Jean Hewetson, “He gave art classes to many students during his lifetime. He tried to teach me and my child to paint, but I am not a painter.”

Leslie passed away from a stroke on 28 November 2011. He was still painting and creating art right up until the time of his passing. Today, the name L. Albertyn is well-known and his oil paintings are highly sought after.

Leslie’s younger brother, Michael Albertyn Senior (Born 28 November 1938), and his son, Michael Albertyn Junior (Born 7 March 1975), are both renowned South African Master painters and continue to uphold the family name.

Michael Albertyn Senior studied art under well-known artists like Victor Visser, W H Coetzer and later at the University of Stellenbosch. He has enjoyed tremendous success throughout his career as an artist, and lately as an international acclaimed artist. He prefers to paint on-site and travels far and wide to find unique and beautiful landscapes. In 1995 he travelled extensively throughout the California wine district and the Hawaiian Islands to gather reference material for exhibitions of his paintings that year in the USA and later in Europe. He also travelled to the magnificent Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe and has done many wildlife scene Paintings of the Kruger National Park.

Michael has an impressionistic style which is created through the use of both palette knife and brush. He is known for his realistic style and composition of the Cape winelands and Seascapes. Michael presently resides with his family in the Cape Province in South Africa and continues to make beautiful art.

About the Author

Born in East London, South Africa, Dayne Skolmen developed a passion for writing articles in his early 20s. His favourite subjects to write about are interesting people, places, and items from the past. With every article he writes, he discovers all the details about his subjects and pieces them together to form a brief history for you to enjoy.

For more wonderful articles visit Dayne’s Discoveries Blog, like Dayne’s Discoveries Facebook Page to keep updated with new publications, or Contact Dayne to share any information, stories, or photographs regarding Leslie Albertyn. You can also join the Facebook group – Albertyn Oil Paintings (Buy and Sell), which covers paintings done by Leslie Albertyn, Michael Albertyn Senior, Michael Albertyn Junior, Otto Albertyn and Morne Albertyn.