Reflections

Throughout her life, Leda took both herself and her work seriously. Whether or not she received wider recognition, she regarded herself as a professional artist. She was deeply committed to art, attended exhibitions, and read widely. She had a strong knowledge of painting and other art forms, and within the Pietermaritzburg art world she was respected.

Making art was not, for Leda, a form of therapy. She did not paint easily when unhappy. In her later years, her output became smaller, and her work was not widely exhibited or sold. Yet she never seemed disappointed by this. She painted because she needed to paint, and above all for herself.

Her life and work do not lend themselves to easy conclusions. She came from a conservative Afrikaans background, yet lived a life that did not always sit comfortably within it. That tension belongs to the story of her life, but it is not something her art states plainly. The work stands apart. It does not yield everything at once.