Notes

In ‘Art in a State of Grace, Art in a State of Hope, Art in a State of Siege’, a lecture presented at the Standard Bank National Festival of the Arts in Grahamstown in July 1986, William Kentridge articulated his belief that a work of art must arrest and intrigue viewers.¹

This large drawing, new to the market and not seen since it was acquired directly from the artist in the early 90s, does just that. It can certainly be linked to the body of drawings he produced in the mid-80s like The Conservationists Ball in the Rupert Museum that drew inspiration from the great narrative works of Francisco Goya and Max Beckmann.

Here Kentridge brings his European cultural heritage to bear on African societies undergoing profound political and social change. Discussing the making of his film Mine, which was completed in 1991, Kentridge revealed the following:

I had in mind an image of Delacroix’ painting Liberty Guiding the People: 28 July 1830 (1830), as well as another image of a dancing woman clothed in newspapers. I was determined to have a clear storyboard before commencing on the film. … I drew my version of Liberty Guiding the People … ²

The dominant figure of a woman with her head wrapped in a scarf, looks back over her shoulder in the manner of Delacroix’ protagonist but rather than wielding the weapons of war she carries the tools of labour prefiguring the arenas of negotiation in this country.

From the perspective of the artist standing at the brink of historical transformation he offers commentary on South Africa’s remarkable transition to democracy. It is this capacity to provoke interest and intrigue through the traditional but revitalised medium of drawing that has made Kentridge one of our most sought-after artists today.

¹ Reprinted in Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev (ed), William Kentridge, Société des Expositions du Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels, 1998, pages 55-57.

² William Kentridge, ‘Artist’s Writings’ in Dan Cameron, Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev and J M Coetzee, William Kentridge, Phaidon, 1999, page 116.