A Research Report to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the
Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in fulfillment of the requirements for the
degree of Master in Arts (Fine Art), 2016 / The core of the study for this MA examines expressions and understandings of human
dignity/seriti, in the work of Gerard Sekoto (1913-1993), Nhlanhla Xaba (1960-2003), Zwelethu
Mthethwa (b.1960) and in my own paintings. As such, the study probes, analyses and questions
the intentions, writings on and readings of these artists’ work, as well as appropriate and build
on their visual and representational languages. Underlying the research is the idea of black
consciousness, and quest for an ideology of a more human and equal South Africa. The subject of
my paintings evolves around seriti in Sofaya, an informal settlement in the northeast of
Johannesburg, which is not located on official maps of the city. I set out this study with the
argument, that all human beings retain seriti as a quality that bestows respectability and
equality to them.
The practical component is comprised of paintings in oil. The work tries to capture a personal
and spiritual quality that I call seriti through explorations of colour, paint mark, and texture. I am curious about the concept of seriti as seen through everyday experiences. I am moved by the
imaginative ability of both Sekoto and Xaba’s images that weave communal and socio-political
narratives to portray, positively, people’s capacity to outlive harsh and conflicting living
conditions. As a result of these influences, I employ dynamic brushwork, poetic colours, and
expressive forms in an attempt to portray the realities, agency, and the place of Sofaya. / MT2017
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:wits/oai:wiredspace.wits.ac.za:10539/21885 |
| Date | January 2016 |
| Creators | Senong, Doctor Kolodi |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | Online resource (68 leaves), application/pdf, application/pdf |
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