Exhibition attracts hordes of art lovers

The CR Swart Park in Rynfield was a hive of activity as art lovers came en-masse to attend the Benoni Art Route, hosted by the Benoni Art Society (BAS), on May 29.

With the sun shining and a cool breeze from the CR Swart dam, the ambience was colourful as visitors jumped from stall to stall searching for a piece that appealed to them.

Besides the occasional murmurs, silence reigned supreme as fans examined the paintings trying to dissect the messages the artists were trying to disseminate.

Chatting to the City Times, the BAS’s Paul Botes explained that no artist creates a piece without finding inspiration from somewhere. The secret, he said, lies in doing thorough research on the subject.

“The eye is the most important tool for an artist. You have to see it before you can start painting.

“The secret is doing background checks. If someone asks you to create something they want to display in their living room, ask them how the room looks like. Go on site, take photos and ask for those tiny details. That’s how we collect information.”

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Itumeleng Sechaba Nkone, who exhibited three paintings including a masterpiece he named Shades, agreed with Botes that characterisation in arts is derived from daily experiences.

“I read a book about characterisation at Germiston library. After reading the book, I realised after that there’s no artist who wakes up and makes a character from scratch. They have to get raw material which you derive a character from,” he said.

Nkone cited DC and Marvel comics and Japanese anime as his greatest influence. He said he transitioned from comics and anime to African art when a teacher challenged him to create his own concepts.

“I met an art teacher from Brakpan who changed my perspective. He challenged me to come up with something original. That’s how I started with African art.”

With his piece, Shades, the painting depicts a woman holding a mug dripping honey, with African prints on her face and upper body.

He revealed he took his cousin Nomshado and derived a character from her name.

“Nomshado, shado or shades is a play of words. In many cultures, a person’s shadow means something besides just being a reflection of your body or shadow being cast by the light or sun. It symbolises protection.”

Marcell Brenner exhibited a painting she named Battle Scarred, which depicts a lion with facial scars resting after a battle.

She said the piece expressed our strength and our fatigue following our battle with Covid-19.

“A lion is a strong animal. His expression says lot. He’s been out there fighting and now he’s resting. He’s had enough. I was going to call him Covid gatvol,” she said.

The next exhibition will be on June 26 at the same venue.

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