The Van Wijk church, Pretoria

The Van Wijk church in the vicinity of the university was built in 1965.  Jan van Wijk was also known for his design of the Afrikaans Language Monument (1975) in Paarl.  For me, these two buildings are the summit of South African architecture.

 

I visited the church in the late-1960s and it was a revelation for me.  Fifty years on, its stature grows.  For more than a century before Van Wijk, designs of churchs (the three Afrikaans churches) were strictly neo-gothic:  a church must look like a (European) church.  Van Wijk’s design abandons this tradition.  He must have been aware of churches like Ronchamp designed by Le Corbusier, where the departure from European traditions could not have been more extreme.

The design of Van Wijk’s church is not merely eccentrically post-modern.  It is a design that draws on the oldest traditions in Africa, especially in the Sahel region.  But the Zimbabwe Ruins are also there, buildings still enveloped in mystery.

Zimbabwe Ruins

Van Wijk church

 

Shelter of the Dorze people, Ethiopia

 

Brickwork inspired by ancient buildings

The interior of the church too, is different from churches in the Protestant tradition – the stained-glass, the pulpit, the altar.  The entrance has been contrived to urge you to look up as you enter, a technique he again applied in the Language Monument.

 

Jan van Wijk is one of our greatest architects.  He was a prophet.  It is said that prophets are not recognised in their own country, but in his case he was honoured by those who accepted the design for the church.  It was change of an unprecendented kind.

©  Will

http://www.willwilltravel.wordpress.com

Les Semboules, Antibes

December, 2020

 

Sources of images

These images were given to me by a photographer in the comunity of the church more than 12 years ago.  To my regret, I did not record his name.  

 

 

Murals near a school

Second in a series of two

I was quite bewildered by the range of styles and colours in the murals.  While the hip-hop fashion is still strong in mural culture, some of which is really good, artists seek out creative ways of letting a wall live.  Here is a touch of the aforesaid hip-hop.

In stark contrast, this portrait with its cryptic label …  “Oeil” = eye.  But the “klein” (Dutch? Afrikaans?) clearly refers to the irregular eye-shapes.  I like mysteries.

And then, another hip-hop echo, but the colours are unusual … I haven’t seen the colours of hip hop murals taking on a glowing pastel hue.

This one could have been clearer, but is still worth sharing, I think.  A dreamy face of a woman …

Well, maybe I spoke too soon about the hip hop fashion.  This following image though, is breaking from the style.  The cryptic word is characteristic.

©  Will

http://www.willwilltravel.wordpress.com

Les Semboules, Antibes

December, 2020

 

My photographs 

Murals near a school

First in a series of two 

I remember seeing a historic plaque in someone’s garden which read In the year 1838 nothing happened here.  It was amusing and it struck me that it could not be entirely true:  if there were human beings there at that time, then something must have happened, albeit unhistoric.  So it is that, behind a high wall that shields a post office from the never-ending swirl of traffic on a through-road, there is also a small school, where, in past years, the staff made something happen.  They commissioned artists to paint murals.  I share some of these.

I have never seen a mural with this kind of detail, somewhat lost in a photograph.  I include a cropped shot to show some detail.  This is a crop from the upper righthand corner.

In fresh blue, white and black this artist (I can’t make out the name) creates an abstract tumble which I find satisfying.

It was quite difficult to photograph these paintings.  They need to be done from some distance and trees blocked the view.  The result was that I could only get parts of the work.  Still, I really like the free-flowing lines offset by angular lines which, at times, suggest human figures.  The colour combination is special.

©  Will

http://www.willwilltravel.wordpress.com

Les Semboules, Antibes

December, 2020

 

My photographs 

 

 

 

 

The Venus figures

 Some interesting thoughts:  how will people from another historical period react to the art from my time?  How will they react to my opinion on their art?  I’ll be able to say to a person from the Middle Ages that I really like their paintings, sculpture and architecture.  But let’s jump 25,000 years … what would I say to these people about the Venus figures that have been found, especially since the 19^th– century in Europe?

Here is the Holhe Fels Venus that was found in Germany in 2008, part of a European collection of more than 200 similar figures.  What is notable about this, yes, grotesque figure of a woman, is that it is the oldest representation of a human being.  There is an older figure that is half human half lion.  The Hohle Fels Venus is estimated at between 35,000 and 40,000.  The hips and breasts are enlarged which suggests, as with other figures like this, that fertility and longevity was being evoked.

From between 20,000 and 26,000 years ago, the figures display certain changes in style.  There is more unity in the image, more harmony e.g. the Venus figures show a more lens-shaped form.  Still, these figures are without faces.  The Venus of Willendorf in Austria has something covering her face.

 

Here is a figurine found in France and estimated at 26,000 b.c.

 

This is the Venus de Lausel, with her rams horn, probably a symbol of authority.  Estimated at 25,000 years ago.

 

Here is the “Mother Goddess” in Ankara Museum, Turkey.  Estimated at 6,000 years b.c.

In Catal Höyük, Turkey, a remarkable prehistoric site, there is the image of a woman called “Mother Goddess”, again with the amplified breasts and with images of lions on either side of her throne.  She has facial features.  She is also the centre of a controversy amongst archaeologists:  is this figure evidence that the status of women was different in these times?   The figure, measuring 17 cm. in height, is estimated at 5,500 – 6,000 b.c.

The figures of women from the Cycladic Island, Greece, are not normally regarded as Venus figures, a name that is in any case ill-contrived.  In the period of Cycladic culture, they have not found any similar figures of men.  These Cycladic figures have always struck me as “modern”, in their stark design.  They are estimated to be 3,000 years b.c.

 

 © Will

www.willwilltravel.wordpress.com

Les Semboules, Antibes

December, 2020

 

Sources

Wikipedia : Venus figurines, Catal Höyük, Hohle Fels Venus

 

Images

I’m afraid I don’t have the sources of these images.