South African Art Analysis

Art, craft and spiritual works mainly from rural South Africa

What defines South African Art? Is it the artworks that are based on European influence? Could it possibly be the images we see presented in museums and art galleries? Or is it more likely to be the artworks that are based on African tradition and the environment in which these South African artists lived?
African art, in general, can always be linked to ideas provided by the West. However, it is determined by the artist alone where he/she draws their inspiration. Although, this theme can be seen as an outcome of Expressionist influence, the subject matter and idea of the artwork is purely designed and created with the artist’s own intention.
The spiritual aspects of the artworks

Where religious art can be a representation of a religious icon, it does not make the artwork spiritual. A spiritual artwork broadens one’s awareness and knowledge, it evokes a sense of knowing from the viewer.

African spiritual beliefs:
African spiritual beliefs are believed to be seen as a triangle; at the top you can find the head or the supreme being, on either side one would find gods and ancestors and in the middle, man is found living in peace with all powers affecting his life (family and work) (NLA Design and Visual Arts, 2013). African beliefs and values are passed orally from generation to generation.

Rorke’s Drift:
The Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELC) Art and Craft Centre was established during the Apartheid Era with the intention of improving the lives of Zulu women in rural Rorke’s Drift, KwaZulu Natal. The ELC Art and Craft Centre was started by Peder and Ulla Gowenius, two Swedish artists, who wished to advance African Art and Craft. The focus was on fine arts for blacks who were restricted from university. The main medium absorbed seemed to have been printmaking, specifically linocuts in black and white; this

The expressionists did not concern themselves with “formal and structural composition of colour.” (Adams, 2011: pp471). The intention of the Expressionists was to create a personal or subjective social and political criticism. It is intended for the artworks to appear primitive, exaggerated and distorted in order to further emphasise the view the artist has on current events. Woodcut prints gave the artworks a primitive-looking aspect to the design which became the general medium for Expressionist artists. Later, etching and lithography were used when a bolder effect was brought