Our duo this week includes works of art by David Koloane and Paul Blomkamp.
Despite different methodologies of practice, the focus this week draws upon the comparable depictions of bustling spaces created by these artists – one a monotype and the other a drawing in charcoal.
The frenetic energy evident in both Mahlathini Street III and Highspeed Highveld high trip eleven is constructed by the strong and repetitive use of line; Paul Blomkamp’s furiously drawn lines in various colours and David Koloane’s lines in charcoal translating a strong visual sense of the heavy smog city dwellers know so well.
Highspeed Highveld high trip eleven utilises line, although frantic, in a uniform manner; the lines draw the eyes up-and-down, up-and-down in a repeated manner, somewhat reminiscent of the lights of cars and streetlights seen in late-night city watching. They lend a sense of the endless to and fro of lined up cars waiting for movement; the lines at the top a shorter, frenzied movement, working towards longer lines and a calmer movement at the bottom of the work. Utilised in a different way, the varied directional lines forcing the eyes to crisscross across the composition, Mahlathini Street III is a specific, contained site. The use of charcoal as medium softens and blends, creating a continuous sense of movement with short bursts of lines.
(This week’s Duo chosen by Candice Cruse.)
Drawings