By: Esha B.
“Education is the most powerful tool which you can use to change the world.”- Nelson Mandela. In many situations, art has been used as a form of not just expression but education as well. South African art showcases this over millennia, from the cave art etched into the walls of the Drakensberg Mountains to resistance against apartheid through paintings. Art in South Africa is rich in form and creativity. There is a plethora of unique styles, displayed by rock art, beaded wire sculptures, embroidery, ornaments, folk paintings, welded cast-iron objects, jewelry, and more. Tradition combined with foreign art styles is what makes the nation’s art so captivating. To fully understand how South African art has become what it is currently, we must go back to the hunters who marked history on the walls of their cave dwellings.
Paleolithic Rock Art
35000 estimated paintings was not an overnight feat- it took four millennia to create the largest group of rock paintings in Sub-Saharan Africa. Located in the highest mountain range in Southern Africa, the cave art has been established as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. According to UNESCO, the displays “represent the spiritual life of the San people” and are “outstanding both in quality and diversity of subject. The San people lived in the mountainous Drakensberg area for more than four millennia, leaving behind them a corpus of outstanding rock art, which throws much light on their way of life and their beliefs. The authenticity of the paintings, and their shelter and cave settings, as a reflection of the beliefs of the San peoples, are without question.”
These rough paintings were done by nomadic hunter-gatherers roughly 26000 years ago. Depictions of humans and animals like elephants, cattle, and horses are done in earthy colors ranging from black to yellow. The humans are seen doing different forms of action through dancing, hunting, or fighting. There are also spiritual paintings of humans performing rituals. Paintings themselves are not the only remnants found, but also tools like paint pots used to mix the colors. Despite these cave paintings being from so long ago and not overly complex, they show that early beings were more advanced than previously thought.
Colonial Art
Though the next period of art is much darker, it also involves incredible perseverance and hope. The Dutch and English came to South Africa in the mid 19th century. While enforcing segregation, they also permanently changed the art landscape. Women artists such as Maggie Laubser and Irma Stern introduced expressionism to South Africa, and Jacobus Hendrik Pierneef gained recognition for his geometric style.
However, art was not open to all. Black artists faced terrible prejudice and were even officially banned in 1955 from receiving formal art training. But there were still many influential black South Africans who made an impact. Jackson Hlungwani (for his critically acclaimed sculptures), Bonnie Ntshalintshali (for her ceramics which would then earn her the first museum named for a black woman artist), George Pemba (for his art inspired by social realism) are just a few examples. With the severe changes occurring in the art scene during apartheid, black and white artists began collaborating as well. As a result, both South African forms and European forms had meaningful effects on each other. There is a great range in the art from the apartheid era, from detached landscapes to realist paintings illustrating social issues like poverty and oppression.
These decades of adaptation to circumstances have made South African art unique. Though apartheid has ended, the fight for equality and the end to systematic racism in the nation still remains prevalent today, shown in the current art landscape.
Current Art
Art in South Africa is significant for many reasons, one being how it represents the progress made and the road still ahead. Different art forms have faced reinvention over time. Nevertheless, traditional styles like crafts, paintings, and conceptual art still thrive with many distinct cultural influences. From basketry to expressionist drawings, one thing is for sure- the country’s art holds an astounding diversity. South Africa continues to use art as a form of expression through hardship. This theme of persistence against hopelessness is something that everyone can use in their own lives.
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