A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Fine Arts. / American critic Hal Foster argues that conceptions of 'the natural' are not universal, they are historically and discursively produced, There is no unmediated presence of 'the natural' in painting. He proposes 'denaturalization' as a form of critical postmodemist aesthetic which questions universalist tendencies in contemporary cultural production" This research examines selected theories and visual. representations of 'the natural' in order to explore different ways in which Foster's notion of denaturalization may be productive in assessing the complexity of critical visual art practice in South Africa. My approach to the topic is largely fragmentary in order to reflect on and engage with the diverse terms of 'the natural' as manifest in visual art practice. To this end I discuss selected works of contemporary South African artists William Kentridge and Penelope'Siopis, While Foster's notion of denaturalization is productive in trying to engage with"critical issues' of art practice it is difficulr, if not impossible to determine if cenaln works conform with either his notion of a postmodernism of resistance or postmodernism of reaction. I will also explore the notion of denaturalization with reference to my practical work. / Andrew Chakane 2018

In this dissertation I analyse and contextualise stereotypical notions associated with the concept of home, and what that constitutes, in the work of South African artists Antoinette Murdoch, Bronwen Findlay, Doreen Southwood and Penelope Siopis, each of whom displays a different perspective of the concept in their artwork. I further consider how these selected South African artists engage with the dichotomies surrounding issues of home and the gendered position assigned to women in this area. I address the strategies the selected artists use in bringing the realm of the private sphere into the public arena and how they transgress the boundaries of private and public spaces. In addition I consider how concepts of home are reflected in my own work and how they are informed by a feminist perspective. The choice of white female artists as the subject of this research is a conscious one, in that I wish to avoid an investigation into cross-cultural gendered subjectivities which will inevitably become entangled with questions of race, politics and culture. As western feminist thought often tends to ignore the specific experiences of ethnic groups located outside western cultural experience, my focus on artists whose context is in part shared by my own is intended to provide an insider perspective. In the context of this research, 'home' is defined as a traditionally acknowledged place where woman is identified in relation to domesticity and the family unit. The term 'home' is therefore partly applicable to a type of domestic environment regardless of its geographic and cultural associations. Home has been defined as a 'group of persons sharing a home or living space (whereas) most households consist of one person living alone, a nuclear family, an extended family or a group of unrelated people' (Scott and Marshall 2005:276). The home is regarded as a place of security where the most intimate of relationships takes place, but it is also an arena of complex human relationships associated with domestic, family, personal and cultural identity. The home is further regarded as a private space and as being somewhat inaccessible, as opposed to the public domain which is open to scrutiny. The home houses a corridor of emotion, however, and may often become a place of entrophy. A subtle shifting and subverting of the conventions which society places upon women and men to conform to particular behavioural constructs will be deconstructed to reveal the concept of home as a site where the boundaries between reality and illusion become blurred. My own artistic practice is concerned with the deconstruction of the home as an idealised space and the façade that often conceals a dystopian reality that lurks beneath such idealisation. I share assumed cultural and class values with the selected artists and will critique the subject from a personal perspective, in part as a self-narrative. Within the context of this research, the term 'middle class' is defined as 'the class of society between the upper and working classes, including business and professional people' (The Oxford English Dictionary 1994:509). / Thesis (M.A.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2011.

The title of this thesis 'South African History Painting : Reinterpretation By Women Artists' indicated that the focus was to be on South African history painting. As the research progressed, however, it became apparent that the initial title did not encompass a broad enough spectrum. Therefore a more suitable title for this dissertation is 'A Visual Reinterpretation Of Aspects Of South African History By Women Artists: Penelope Siopis and Philippa Skotnes'. It is the intention of this dissertation to examine the way in which two contemporary South African women artists namely, Penelope Siopis (1953-) and Philippa Skotnes (1957) visually challenge in their paintings and prints respectively the conventional depictions of recorded South African history. Poststructuralism, deconstruction, new historicism and Postmodernism are among the theoretical currents upon which this research is based. It is from a Postmodern standpoint that selected works by Siopis and Skotnes will be analysed. The intention of this analysis is to examine their attempts to access the Postcolonial condition in South Africa through their visual presentations. The work of Siopis and Skotnes reflectects an interest in Postcoloniality. Furthernore, their visual imagery addresses questions of culture and power in South African visual representation. Works such as those created by Siopis and Skotnes can be seen as uncovering some of the contradictions within the process of decolonization. Nederveen, Pieterse and Parekh (1995 ) describe decolonization in the following way: 'Decolonization is a process of emancipation through mirroring, a mix of defiance and mimesis. Like colonialism itself, it is deeply preoccupied with boundaries - boundaries of territory and identity, borders of nation and state. (Nederveen, Pieterse and Parekh 1995: 11)' The focus in this dissertation is on the works of Siopis and Skotnes and their use of specific deconstructive methods to undermine prejudicial historical imagery and question established perceptions within South African history. In other words, the visual presentation of these two artists explores the boundaries or margins of established history. Both Siopis and Skotnes confront in visual terms the prejudicial representations of women and/or ethnic groups who have been subjugated by what they perceive as white, middle class, patriarchal history. The primary concern of the research is the visual imagery produced by these two artists and the effect of deconstruction on their respective art works. In the first chapter selected works from Siopis's 'History Painting' (1980s) series are to be analysed. In the second chapter the focus is on Skotnes's etchings in 'Sound From The Thinking Strings' (1993) exhibition. The investigation then moves to a project entitled 'Miscast' (1996). Skotnes was the curator of the 'Miscast' exhibition. It does not contain original art works by Skotnes. It is however an extension of the ideas which her prints embody and is therefore relevant to this dissertation. / Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 1996.

Text in English, with abstracts and keywords in English and Xhosa / The study delves into traumatic memories rooted in the unconscious mind and the modalities of expression of traumatic memories of childhood. Specific reference is made to the trauma studies of Cathy Caruth and Bessel van der Kolk. Using a framework of contemporary trauma theory, I argue that trauma manifests through childhood sexual abuse (CSA) manifests in trauma and that a number of artworks by myself, Penny Siopis and Nathani Lüneberg, reflect such trauma. The research is conducted as practice-led research and focuses on interpretations of selected artworks as well as a theoretical component. The body of large-scale digital paintings plays a significant role in the research process, which implies that theory leads practice and vice versa. The work encompasses the visual exploration of CSA and it is specifically analysed according to my interpretation of symbols such as the naked female body and intimate scenes which illustrate, vulnerabilty, curtains that metaphorically represent a view into my unconscious mind. The symbol of the uterus or the womb, where a foetus or unborn baby develops and grows, is a symbol of nurturing and protection. The artworks are primarily considered according to notions of CSA that cause betrayal and traumatic associations with sex, angst and psychological fragility in children. The exhibition portrays the psychobiological and psyhoanalytical aspects of childhood trauma resulting from CSA. The creative work consists of four digital paintings and seven photographic artworks. The artworks in The Silent Wound Series portray CSA, childhood trauma, and traumatic memories in the unconscious. Dealing with the understanding and representation of childhood trauma such as CSA, these themes are continuously embodied in my artworks. As the portrayal of the fragile girl child’s body as a signifier in the artworks relates to my personal situation, I choose an empathic view of childhood trauma within the study, portraying traumatic events and the memories thereof in the unconscious. The aim of the study is to recognise how digital painting and photography enable the representation and understanding of CSA and traumatic memories and how the silenced and abused child’s voice can be expressed through the affective and transactive quality of art. The main study objective is to investigate if traumatic memories occur in victims of CSA. / Uphononongo lungena nzulu kwiinkumbulo ezoyikisayo ezendele kwingqondo eleleyo kunye neendlela zokubonisa iinkumbulo ezibuhlungu zobuntwana. Ngokukhethekileyo kujoliswe kuphando olwenziwe kwizifundo zomothuko zikaCathy Caruth noBessel van der Kolk. Ndisebenzisa isakhelo sethiyori yanamhlanje, ndivakalisa ukuba umothuko wokuxhatshazwa ngokwesondo ebuntwaneni (i-CSA) bubonakala kuloyiko kwaye eminye yemisebenzi yam yobugcisa, uPenny Siopis kunye noNathani Lüneberg, ibonisa uloyiko olunjalo. Uphando lwenziwa njengophando olukhokelwa kukuziqhelanisa kwaye lujolise kutoliko lwemisebenzi yobugcisa ekhethiweyo kunye nenxalenye yethiyori. Uvimba wemizobo emikhulu yedijithali idlala indima ebalulekileyo kwinkqubo yophando, oko kuthetha ukuba ithiyori ikhokelela ekusebenzeni kwaye nangokuphendulelekileyo. Umsebenzi uquka uphando olubonakalayo kwe-CSA kwaye ucazululwa ngokukodwa ngokokutolika kwam iisimboli ezinje ngomzimba wabasetyhini ehamba ze kunye nemiboniso esondeleleneyo ebonisa, ukuba sesichengeni, iikhethini ngokukwekwayo ezimele imbono kwingqondo yam eleleyo. Uphawu lwesibeleko okanye isibeleko, apho umbungu okanye usana olungekazalwa lukhula khona kwaye lukhule, siluphawu lokondla nokukhusela. Imisebenzi yobugcisa iqwalaselwa ikakhulu ngokwemibono ye-CSA ebangela ukungcatshwa kunye nomanyano oludakumbisayo ngezesondo, ixhala kunye nobu-ethe-ethe ngokwengqondo ebantwaneni. Umboniso uzoba iimeko zengqondo ephilayo kunye nohlalutyo lwengqondo elimeleyo yobuntwana ebangelwe yi-CSA. Umsebenzi wobugcisa unemizobo emine yedijithali kunye neefoto zobugcisa esixhenxe. Imisebenzi yobugcisa kwi-Silent Wound Series izoba i-CSA, umothuko wobuntwana, kunye neenkumbulo ezibuhlungu ezikwingqondo eleleyo. Ukusebenza nokuqonda nokutolika ukwenzakaliswa kobuntwana okufana ne-CSA, le mixholo ihlala iyinxalenye kwimisebenzi yam yobugcisa.Njengoko ukwenza uzobo lomzimba o-ethe-ethe womntwana oyintombazana njengomboniso kwimisebenzi yobugcisa kunxulumene nemeko yam yobuqu, ndikhetha umbono onovelwano wokwenzakala kobuntwana kolu phononongo, ndibonisa iziganeko ezihlasimlis 'umzimba kunye neenkumbulo zazo ezingqondweni ezileleyo. Injongo yophando kukufuna ukuqonda ukuba imizobo ngedijithali kunye nokufota kukwenza njani ukumelwa kunye nokuqondwa kwe-CSA neenkumbulo ezenzakalisayo nokuba ilizwi elithulisiweyo nempatho-mbi yomntwana linokuvakaliswa njani ngokomgangatho ochaphazelayo notshintshayo wobugcisa. Eyona njongo iphambili yophando kukuphanda ukuba iinkumbulo ezibuhlungu ziyenzeka kumaxhoba e-CSA. / Arts and Music / M.V.A.