Iām creating this blog as an archive of artworks which I believe share a similar aesthetic. Like the Japanese or theĀ Belgian (ligne claire) styles, the African drawing seems to have its own aesthetic and its own rules. The aesthetic Iām focusing on here is one that may seem naĆÆve or mediocre, but which is far from that. Ā It has a refined quality that contains a strange beauty. Drawing sometimes goes almost full circle.Ā Successful āuglyā artwork requires drawing to be ābeautifulā first. Itās the taming of an aesthetic. Itās an acquired taste.
Africa is a big place and, like everywhere else, there are diverse artists and styles. There are, however, similarities in some of the drawing styles that are quite characteristic of African artists specifically. Thatās what this archive is about.
UHLAKANYANA is an anthology of South AfricanĀ izinganekwane,Ā the isiZulu word for stories or tales. It contains 124 pages of stories by eight very different artists. Not all the works in this book belong to the aesthetic described above, but itās a beginning.
