Portraiture at the KZNSA gallery - June 2014

.......it's the new BLACK!

The culture of selfies has certainly reinforced the fact that portraiture is the new black! Documenting the human figure through art has been a recurring motif throughout the work submitted for the 'what u say 'bout what? show.

Image from: http://www.realclear.com/entertainment/2013/11/20/worst_celebrity_selfies_word_of_the_year_4175.html

Which leds us to discuss the following questions: Where did selfies come from? What differentiates fine art portraiture from selfies/snapshots? And why should portraits be included in a youth social art show at the KZNSA Gallery?

The first thing that strikes me about the 'selfie' culture is the numerous people I have caught posing in the oddest places - like in front of the shiny finish of Musgrave Shopping centre’s lift or in the middle of a car park. You see the selfie trend is about more than capturing a person's image! In fact a selfie aims to improve one’s status by using camera cropping to create an image that captures a sense of class.  For example the selfie of a girl in pink accessories sexily propped up by a gleaming red car could be arriving at the Oyster Box...but what fascinates me is that the real location is a block of flats in suburban Musgrave surrounded by very ordinary looking neighbours shuffling around in their gardening clothes.

Thus the first step to creating a successful portrait is capturing the essence of the scene by locating the figure within in a background and cropping the image to capture the mood.  

Thus the images surrounding Muhlali and Wolmerans’ work express the mood created by these political figures.

Artist: Christine Wolmerans

Medium: Graphite on paper

Grosvenor Girls High School

Mabuto

Artist: Azuri Muhlali

Medium: Pencil crayon on paper

However, as discussed previously, art is both part of and separate to popular culture.  Thus whilst selfies may be the current trend in social media style, fine art portraiture has been around for centuries.  Historically kings, nobles and religious figures were the only people who could afford to have their images immortalized in art.  The Renaissance altered portraiture history by using objects, such as globes, to capture the status and personality of the sitter (Fabulousnoble.com, 2014).  

Thus over time the identity of portrait figures has slowly changed from important figures to ordinary people and the invention of the camera means that immortalising one’s image is affordable for the general public.  Thus the current challenge in portraiture is to create a portrait that stands out amongst the multitude of selfies.

Court portrait of Empress Renhuai (1016–1079) (wife of Emperor Qinzong) of Song Dynasty, Chinese

Image from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portrait_painting

Image From: http://www.fabulousnoble.com/a-brief-history-of-portraiture

One aspect that separates art from selfie culture is the artist’s ability to express the unseen.  A selfie is produced by clicking a machine button whereas the process of applying marks on paper allows the artist to access their imagination. Suddenly the buttons available are a lot more than a mere crop, good lighting and succinct timing. For example the artist can add horns to create humour.

 

Funny Self Portrait

Artist: Mlungisi Myeni

Medium: Charcoal on paper

Ekupheleni High School

Frida Kahlo self-portrait, entitled The Broken Column

Image from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2239100/Frida-Kahlos-fascinating-wardrobe-exhibited-home-shared-Diego-Rivera-Mexico-City.html

Selfie photographers are confined to the here and now...sure you can alter when you post the picture to social media: for example there is guy who is currently sitting in Westville Prison but his Facebook feed says he was at Vida e. Clearly the social media sharing system is open to deception! But the point is: A machine cannot create an image of the future, whereas an artist can! Artists can create an image that exists outside of time. In fact artist’s images can rewrite how we perceive time.  For example Roanne Moodley’s work comments on how the police violence in Marikana is similar to the way that the Apartheid government opened fire on school children in the 1976 uprising in Soweto.

Where to? Where from?

Artist: Rozanne Moodley

Medium: Pencil crayon on board

Durban Girls High School

Another example of creating visions of the future is Anna Ballatine’s stunning portrait of herself as a Hollywood star.  This drawing was created while Anna was still a matric student at Durban Girls High School.

Artist: Anna Ballentine

Medium: Graphite on paper

Durban Girls High School

Artists also have the ability to combine different mediums to create different messages. For example Mbali Shibane has used wax and lino prints to illustrate the fragility of the female figure.  

Artist: Mbali Shibane

Medium: Linocut print on canvas/candle wax

Creating a portrait on an interesting surface can add to the meaning of the work for example Cherise Maharaj’s has used a page of the Daily News to illustrate the job market’s effect on our perception of others.

Fighting for Position

Artist: Cheriese Maharaj

Medium: Acrylic on canvas

Durban North College

An effective title can change the meaning of an image, for example Brenda Freese changed our perception of her painting of a child with a baby on her back by titling it “The Little Homemaker”.

The Little Homemaker

Artist: Brenda Freese

Medium: Oil on canvas

Centre for Fine Art and Animation Design

Hanekom’s  work illustrates how combining multiple angles in a single work can create an interesting representation of a person.

Artist: Tamaryn Hanekom

Medium: Watercolour on paper

Sometimes the scale of a portrait transforms its meaning. For example Mthobisi Maphumulo’s work is very effective because it is 153 x 130 cm!

u Sipho Nembowula

Artist: Mthobisi Maphumulo

Medium: Oil, pastel on paper, 2013

The mark-making in Mchunu’s portraits is absolutely exquisite and the artist definitely justifies choosing a hand-generated medium over photography .

Artist: Kanyelihle Mchunu

Medium: Mixed media on paper

Velobala

Artist: Kanyelihle Mchunu

Medium: Mixed media on paper

Velobala

Artist's portraits also have a physicality and a lens that transcends the human eye. For example the roughness of Kanyelihle Mchunu’s paint application captures the bride’s anxiety.

Painting by Kanyelihle Mchunu, from Velobala

Thus art is a representation of reality and the authenticity of the artwork's statement is established through the process of creating and sharing the image with the world.

So the next time you set out to capture someone’s likeness think about how you will use the language of art to add to your figure’s sense of importance.

Fabulousnoble.com, (2014). A Brief History Of Portraiture. [online] Available at: http://www.fabulousnoble.com/a-brief-history-of-portraiture [Accessed 10 Jun. 2014].

Translating a concept into a visual language

It’s a piece of cake - by Shelanna Sturgess
Youth Voices Exhibition June 2014

“They can talk the talk, but are they walking the walk?”, was one of Bren Brophy’s continuous one liners surrounding various artworks’ exhibition selection discussions.  Translating a concept into a visual language is one of the most challenging journeys in art. Many of the artists had submitted insightful artists’ statements but the resulting work was too literal and other artists had submitted technically skilled artworks with vague or insignificant messages.  

Image by Chris Lutuyk from: http://unskewtheview.com/tag/instagram/

The invention of the camera has profoundly changed the role of the artist. 

Documenting daily life can now be done in a split second on a cell-phone and the advent of social media and apps like Instagram allow us to instantaneously share our visions with the world. Capturing an image is a significant resource in terms of collecting strong references for an artwork, Thus artists are no longer forced to endure the elements whilst painting a landscape.  However an artist’s reference still needs to be transformed into an artwork for us to be able to create a lasting experience for the viewer.

For example: A still-life or portrait can be highly skilled but the fact that we can document the same image with a camera in 2 seconds, often causes the viewer to lose interest as the message of the artwork is insignificant.  

Still Life, by Louise Moillon, 
a 17th century French Painter from the Baroque era.  
Image from: http://stilllifequickheart.tumblr.com/page/689

Sarah Browne has dubbed our current state of society as the 'visual revolution'. She states that our brains process visual information 60, 000 times faster than text. Which leads us to the following questions: What U say ‘bout what?

And in a world where Facebook users post 300 million images a day  (Browne, 2014), how does one sustain the viewer’s interest in an artwork?

I am an incessant baker, so I like to compare creating an artwork to baking a cake.  First of all you need to have an occasion to bake for and this is like developing your concept. I like to ask the question - what would I like my artwork to be about (i.e. what is my concept)?

Great British Bake Off winner, John Whaite, completing his Heaven and Hell Chiffon Cake. Images from:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2218692/Great-British-Bake-Off-winner-John-Whaites-amazing-stopping-confection.html

Generally I find that personalising the concept leads to a more authentic expression and this allows the viewer to think about their own experiences in relation to the artwork. For example Anna Ballantine, a South African ice skater has created a stunning diptych about her experiences of fame and childhood.

Artist: Anna Ballentine

Medium: Graphite on paper

Durban Girls High School

The second thing that I look for is what ingredients I have in my cupboard. In other words what elements of art can I use to express my concept?  Thus I can alter the meaning of my image by changing the colours or textures to express a certain emotion. For example Sizwe Cele’s woodcut print’s bright colours creates a sense of the vibrancy of public transport.

From home to home

Artist: Sizwe Cele

Medium: Woodcut on paper

I can start looking for a recipe once I have my concept and basic ingredients/elements selected.  Thus I could begin by experimenting with various art principles that I can use to create my picture. For example Cele has created balance in his work by having homes on either side of the bus as the focal area. Cele’s use of warm red and cool blues also illustrate the principle of contrast.

The next step is to select an art medium that will best express my concept and this relates to how long I have to bake my cake and whether I will use an oven or a microwave. For example acrylics is a much quicker medium than oils or adding a pencil crayon layer to watercolours is sometimes faster than building up 5 or 6 layers of pencil crayon.  However each of these mediums will create a different mood and I need to consider how my medium will add impact and meaning to the final product.

For example Mthobisi Maphumulo selected pastels to create his portrait of a schoolgirl, as the bright colours reminded him of the playfulness of childhood.

Mthobisi Maphumulo, Untitled, 2013.

The final presentation of your cake is the composition.  A good composition is integral to creating a striking first impression.  You see, when you bake a cake you want people to be totally surprised by making something new that looks amazing and tastes delicious.  Thus your artwork needs to have an element of mystery and innovation - people need to be asking the question - how did they do that? (i.e. innovation).  Other compliments on a great cake (i.e. a great artwork) are - it looks incredible (i.e. technical skill) and it tastes so delicious that I want to keep eating it (i.e. the message is not too obvious and can sustain the viewer’s interest for a long time.)

Some examples of innovative techniques on the What U say ‘bout what? show are Ryan Oliver’s Untitled portrait made out of bricks and plaster and Stephanie Trevethan’s portrait made out of broken glass bottles. In both these works the artists have used scale and unusual materials to create meanings that extend beyond the standard portrait subject matter.  For example Trevethan uses the broken bottles as a metaphor for the emotional effects of alcohol.  The sharpness of the edges and the play of light on the glass certainly captures and sustains our interest.

Ryan Oliver, Untitled, bricks and plaster on board,

Crawford North Coast

Stephanie Trevethan, Alcoholic, broken glass and cork on board, Durban Girls College

Another innovative work is Construction II, an installation by Jess Bothma, who is creating a form of explosive art.

Artist: Jessica Bothma

Durban University of Technology

Another example of ‘explosive’ art is CAi Guo-Qiang’s drawings from gunpowder.

Cai Guo-Qiang, Exploding House: Project for Deutsche Guggenheim Berlin, Gunpowder Drawing, 2006, Collection of the artist, © Cai Guo-Qiang Image from; http://www.db-artmag.com/en/58/on-view/hanging-out-at-a-museum-cai-guo-qiang-in-taipei/

Mhlo Chiliza’s charcoal drawing also creates a sense of mystery, as I find myself wondering who the speaker is? What are such modern microphones doing placed on such an ornate table? What forms of power is Chiliza alluding to?

Mhlo Chiliza, Leaders Corruption, Charcoal

Or look at the untitled work by Malandla Nomonde Zona below:

Home

Artist: Malandla Nomonde

Medium: Acrylic on paper

Grosvenor High School

I keep asking who this man is with such sore feet?

So to all you budding artists out there let’s get ‘baking’ and remind the world that the artistic vision is more than a 2 second happy snappy or a technically sound copy of an object in paint.  And whilst creating good art might not always be as easy as piece of cake, it certainly is worth more than fleeting images being posted by the millions on social media.

Bibliography: Browne, S. (2014). Market Researchers: Do You Speak Visual?. [online] Linkedin.com. Available at: http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140318023417-1333827-do-you-speak-visual  [Accessed 4 Jun. 2014].