South African Art – A Unique Tradition

South Africa has been home to some of the most beautiful art forms in the world. From the rock art era of the ancient civilizations to the Bushman or San art forms or contemporary art styles of today, all have played their roles to help make the art and culture of South Africa one of the most unique one in the world.

Presently, the vibrant and talented contemporary artists are carrying forward this tradition of million years by producing some of the most unique and stunning African paintings.

History of South African art

To actually know about the colorful and interesting art of this land, you need to go hundred and thousand of years back in time. There are various caves in South Africa bearing proof of ancient African tribal art forms. There are many wonderful art objects of small drilled snail shells inside these caves, which served as habitats for the ancient tribes.

South African art saw a drastic change when Khoisan, San, and Bushman tribes started showing their artistic genius in fluent art forms. The examples of their creative work are still present in several South African cave paintings. Next, it was the turn of Bantu and Nguni tribes, who arrived with their own exclusive art forms, to add more variety to the art traditions of South Africa.

Locally rooted art forms

During the colonial era, artists living in South Africa mainly focused on depicting the different themes of the changing world. Whatever they did even today stands out for its remarkable perfection and accuracy. The art forms were mostly on topics like flora, fauna, native people, and the landscape. This era witnessed the birth of artists such as Thomas Baines, who is known worldwide for his creative art form.

With the beginning of the 19th century, the locally rooted art forms began to get new life with the help of painters like Jan Volschenk and Hugo Naude and sculptor Anton van Wouw. However, their creative attempt was basically a form of momentary art which highlighted the poor condition of the nation in 1910.

A twist

Artists Maggie Laubscher and Irma Stern gave a different look to South African art during post-impressionism and expressionism in 1930s, . The way they used to play with color and composition, gave rise to a contradictory art form that totally differed from the prevailing norms then.

Even artists like Gregoire Boonzaier, Maud Sumner and Moses Kottler were able to successfully influence the prevailing art forms with their masterly works.

Apartheid Period

This period, which ran from 1948 to 1994, witnessed an immense diversity in the overall art forms, ranging from landscape paintings to abstract ones. Also, being very politically active, this era saw some major political influences in the art forms. The art world got artists like Jean Welz who gave a sophisticated touch to several of his portraits, nudes landscapes and still life paintings.

These African art forms, developed by the ancient tribes or the contemporary artists provide an insight into this truly magical land and its rich traditions of art. A great way to get these wonderful pieces of art is to purchase them online where you will get an unbelievable range to choose from and competitive prices.

Kathryn is a travel journalist who has written many articles to provide glimpses into the cultural heritage of South Africa,
African Paintings,
African tribal art and
original oil paintings which have been published in newspapers, magazines and web mags

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