Aspects of twentieth century black South African art, up to 1980. Volume I

Jephson, Amanda Anne

Aspects of twentieth century black South African art, up to 1980. Volume I

Master Thesis

1989

Abstract

The following study is concerned with the influence of Westernization on the development of black South African art, culminating in a form of art referred to as urban black art. While the essential aim of this dissertation is to document selected twentieth century artists and their works prior to 1980, it is felt that a broader art historical context is required, placing contemporary black South African art within the evolution of black African art in general, and in relation to so-called traditional art of the African peoples in South Africa. For this reason, an outline is given in Chapter 1 of some changes in style, imagery, symbolism and form occurring in black African art as a result of contact with Western socio-economic and cultural models. Since Western art schools in Africa have played a major role in developments in twentieth century African art, a general survey of Western art schools in Africa ,their teachers and artistic products is presented. In South Africa the influence of art schools for black artists, in particular the Polly Street and Rorke's Drift schools discussed in Chapter 3, cannot be over emphasised. Providing a wider art historical context in which to place black South African art also required an outline of socalled traditional art forms, found essentially in figurative wood carving and mural painting, discussed in Chapter 2. Chapter 3 looks at four black urban painters

Keywords

Art, South African

Reference:

Collections

Masters

Full item page