charcoal, chalk pastel, and gouache on paper

Artwork date: 2004
Signature details: signed, dated and inscribed 'For Wilbert from William June 2004' bottom right
Exhibited: FNB Art Joburg, Sandton Convention Centre, 'In the Shadow of the Rainbow', Johans Borman Fine Art Gallery, 27 to 29 September 2013.
Literature: Borman, J & Taljaard, Z. (2013). 'In the Shadow of the Rainbow'. Cape Town: Johans Borman Fine Art, illustrated in colour on p.51.

(1)

79 x 75 cm; framed size: 112 x 104 x 2 cm

Provenance:

Private collection, Johannesburg.
Johans Borman Fine Art, Cape Town.
Strauss & Co., South African and International Art, Johannesburg, 12 November 2012, Lot 222.

Notes:

A hallmark of William Kentridge’s oeuvre is his continuous experimentation with various techniques of drawing, the mechanics of making art and the construction of vision. As early as the 1990s, most notably in his hand-drawn, stop motion animated films, Kentridge presented his scenes in various optical frameworks – like the stereoscopic views in Felix in Exile (1994) – not only for dramatic effect but to comment on the act of looking. Kentridge explains: “I’m interested in machines that make you aware of the process of seeing and aware of what you do when you construct the world by looking. This is interesting in itself, but more as a broad-based metaphor for how we understand the world”.[1]

During the course of 2004, while conceptualising, developing and assembling the body of work for Preparing the Flute (2005), Kentridge produced several preparatory and exploratory drawings, investigating thematic scenes and various options for framing, projecting and filming. In Arched Landscape, using charcoal and a touch of blue and red chalk pastel, Kentridge expressively depicts a barren landscape setting in an arched-framed view. The format of the drawing references the structural framework of the model theatre and similar arched-shaped formats present in other drawings from Preparing the Flute, suggesting that the drawing was a precursor to this important body of work.

The location of this landscape is unknown, yet by superimposing various surveying markers, Kentridge once more brings attention to the universal issue of Man’s exploration, exploitation and re-shaping of the natural terrain.

Marelize van Zyl

[1] Christov-Bakargiev, C. (1998), William Kentridge, Brussels: Palais des Beaux-Arts. p.97.

Collections:

The artist is represented in numerous local and international collections, notably, the Museum of Modern Art, New York.; Tate Modern, London.; Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California and The Museum of Contemporary Art (MCA), Chicago.