Pump House, Little Brenthurst
Drawing
1995 (made)
1995 (made)
Artist/Maker | |
Place of origin |
Clifford M'pai, born in 1937, is a largely self-taught artist, who has spent most of his life working as a servant. He practiced drawing in his free time and was encouraged to attend evening classes by his employer. Although he has now gained a considerable reputation as an artist both in South Africa and abroad he kept this part of his life secret from his own family who still live in one of the villages in the Northern Transvaal, away from the city.
This drawing shows a typical village dwelling, with scrupulously clean yard, very different from the garbage strewn townships on city margins. One of M'pai's concerns is to record traditional buildings which are fast disappearing under an influx of concrete and corrugated iron but another significant feature of his landscapes is the absence of human figures. A figure would have to be depicted as black or white, thus immediately impying some comment on ownership or appropriation.
Alan Crump, Professor of Fine Art at Witwatersrand University, has described M'pai's work as 'a world of structured fantasy' but one which reflects the 'shifting social conditions and the insecurities which surround his own condition'. These modest dwellings seem timeless, but M'pai seems aware that the life of villages like this may be threatened by 'a fearsome and alienating existence beyond [their] borders'. [See also E. 856-1997]
This drawing shows a typical village dwelling, with scrupulously clean yard, very different from the garbage strewn townships on city margins. One of M'pai's concerns is to record traditional buildings which are fast disappearing under an influx of concrete and corrugated iron but another significant feature of his landscapes is the absence of human figures. A figure would have to be depicted as black or white, thus immediately impying some comment on ownership or appropriation.
Alan Crump, Professor of Fine Art at Witwatersrand University, has described M'pai's work as 'a world of structured fantasy' but one which reflects the 'shifting social conditions and the insecurities which surround his own condition'. These modest dwellings seem timeless, but M'pai seems aware that the life of villages like this may be threatened by 'a fearsome and alienating existence beyond [their] borders'. [See also E. 856-1997]
Object details
Categories | |
Object type | |
Title | Pump House, Little Brenthurst (assigned by artist) |
Materials and techniques | Coloured crayon and pencil on paper |
Brief description | Drawing by Clifford M'pai (born Polokwane, South Africa, 1937), 'Matomi's House', pencil and colour crayon, 1995 |
Physical description | A drawing of two huts in a compound which looks spotlessly clean. The huts are circular, white with straw roofs. A grey wall surrounding the rectangular compound is articulated with a magenta pink line. In the back ground to the right, a field of green bushes and to the left a brown field. |
Dimensions |
|
Marks and inscriptions | Clifford M. Mpai/ 20 May 1995 (signed and dated in pencil, lower right) |
Credit line | Given by Mr and Mrs Oppenheimer through the assistance of Clare Cooper |
Production | Little Brenthurst is the name of the property on which the artist works as a servant. |
Subjects depicted | |
Place depicted | |
Summary | Clifford M'pai, born in 1937, is a largely self-taught artist, who has spent most of his life working as a servant. He practiced drawing in his free time and was encouraged to attend evening classes by his employer. Although he has now gained a considerable reputation as an artist both in South Africa and abroad he kept this part of his life secret from his own family who still live in one of the villages in the Northern Transvaal, away from the city. This drawing shows a typical village dwelling, with scrupulously clean yard, very different from the garbage strewn townships on city margins. One of M'pai's concerns is to record traditional buildings which are fast disappearing under an influx of concrete and corrugated iron but another significant feature of his landscapes is the absence of human figures. A figure would have to be depicted as black or white, thus immediately impying some comment on ownership or appropriation. Alan Crump, Professor of Fine Art at Witwatersrand University, has described M'pai's work as 'a world of structured fantasy' but one which reflects the 'shifting social conditions and the insecurities which surround his own condition'. These modest dwellings seem timeless, but M'pai seems aware that the life of villages like this may be threatened by 'a fearsome and alienating existence beyond [their] borders'. [See also E. 856-1997] |
Bibliographic reference | Victoria and Albert Museum Department of Prints, Drawings and Paintings Accession Register for 1997 |
Collection | |
Accession number | E.856-1997 |
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Record created | November 22, 2005 |
Record URL |
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