Local artist pays tribute to Dr Esther Mahlangu
An exhibition featuring a portrait of renowned Ndebele artist Dr Esther Mahlangu by a Lowveld artist was recently held.
Felicity Bell revealed her final product at her solo exhibition at the White River Gallery.
“It explored the human psyche through a new collection of 30 portraits,” stated Dana MacFarlane, curator of the gallery.
“When Dana approached me about a solo exhibition she mentioned that she had a vision of having a portrait of Dr Esther Mahlangu as the main focus,” Bell said.
Mahlangu was recently honoured by President Cyril Ramaphosa as one of three South African icons celebrated on National Heritage Day. The portrait has been a process spanning almost two years.
ALSO READ: Shoes donated to those with disabilities in Mpumalanga
Facilitated by Helene Smuts, (co-founder of Africa Meets Africa), Bell and MacFarlane met with Mahlangu in April 2019 at her homestead in KwaMahlanga. Bell mentioned that the negotiation process for this took almost six months.
Over a two-day period, a Bell took a series of images of Mahlangu as reference for the planned portrait.
“I feel so incredibly privileged to have been able to take photographs of her and to have been able to paint her,” she said. The portrait was commenced in 2019, and took almost a year to complete.
“I chose to go with realism,” said Bell. “I felt that this style suited Dr Mahlangu best.”
The painting is a large-scale oil-on-board (175 x 125 centimetres) that honours a much-loved globally acclaimed figure, epitomising her extraordinary characteristics.
It also highlights her efforts to educate and promote the importance of her heritage through the process of art.
ALSO READ: Lowvelder earns international golden award
