Group curated by Candice Cruse
A similarity in the feeling of the gaze of the subjects, in several of these works, was a starting point for this group.
Lettie Gardiner’s Twin girls are portrayed in much the same way as the figures in many of her other paintings; the subject always looking directly out at the viewer, sometimes holding in their eyes a request, a comment, an invitation. In this way too, Foibe Amundaba’s subject in her painting entitled ‘Wrapped,’ is made up of lines that in turn make up a shrouded cape. This cape allows only the gaze of the face- we fill in the rest of the body only from our knowledge of shape and form. The subject seems serene, calm, but the painting creates some distance; the viewer is invited to be an onlooker or perhaps only a curious bystander. Some works allow a pulling-in; you become a part of the scene, not merely a viewer but also a participant. Lizza Littlewort recreates a scene we know well, sitting around a fire, but she does so with fictional characters some of us may know from the ‘Star Wars’ films. Here, we encounter characters, known or unknown, who are in the films in perpetual battle, sitting calmly alongside a raging fire, and the entry point for the viewer to the fireside is at the point where the circular composition of the painting ends. We have come across a scenario, but we are also a part of this scene and, so, also the contemplative feeling of the subjects.
There was February… and then, October! At JMFA we have missed our usual (pre–COVID) pace of putting works together to rub shoulders with one another. One of the most fulfilling aspects of our consultancy is telling stories and encouraging conversations by looking at art. We choose works which relate to the people who live with them, and support artists in whom we believe.
And so, in our bid to put us all in a positive place in the surreal year that is 2020 and bring you some stories, we have made our own groups:
- 8 groups of 8 works which we will release on our website, week by week, every a Monday, for 8 weeks
- hung and photographed in friendly spaces to give you a sense of scale
- for the release week only, if you buy 2 or more, you will pay 8% less on the total cost of the works. You can, of course, purchase only one but you will be missing out on the discount.
Don’t hesitate to get in touch with us to enquire about the condition or to arrange to view the works at either our Cape Town or Johannesburg studio, depending on where they (and you!) are.