Dumile feni biography channel

Working primarily with graphic art in monochromatic hues, the artist had the ability and vision to transform the particular into the universal. His works also reflect his deep love of music, especially jazz. And even the disposition of the figures on the page is invested with musical rhythm. Dumile was also an exceptionally gifted sculptor, skill that is clearly expressed in his art.

Though executed entirely in a linear fashion, many of his drawings have a profound sculptural quality. The Study for the portrait of Albert Luthuli is an excellent example of this. It does not attempt to depict the final three-dimensional sculpture; instead, the drawing itself has intrinsic attributes to sculpture. Albert Luthuli was a Zulu chief, teacher and religious leader that became president of the African National Congress from toand was the first African winner of the Nobel Peace Prize for his efforts in waging a non-violent campaign against racial discrimination in South Africa.

His father, who had been a policeman, became a trader and an evangelist. His mother, devout in her Christian beliefs, insisted on morning and evening prayers. Of this perfunctory religious observance and notwithstanding his high regard for his mother, he later remarked:. It would drive Him crazy, He would slap you out of the house. Why does the church pray every day?

Simon, Life was hard as the artist recollected:. One day when I was very small, I was walking in the street and I found a guitar. A real, new guitar just lying there! I picked it up and took it home. Hey, I was so happy! So it just sat there. And then one day I pulled off one string and another day I pulled off another string. Then I began to pull it apart and one day we used it for firewood Simon, From an early age he loved drawing and carving.

He was known to draw on every conceivable surface, leading inevitably to trouble at school, where he would be punished for defacing schoolbooks. Drawing was a compulsion and he began to skip lessons to avoid punishment and hang around with his friends; but even while playing truant he would continue to sit and draw while his friends amused themselves in more boyish ways.

His father remarried inbut later, when his health began to deteriorate, he sent Dumile to live with a relative in Johannesburg. Once there, he decided to leave school, although he had only achieved his Standard One pass. Six years later, inhis father died. Dumile had, shortly before this, begun working in various pottery businesses in Johannesburg.

Johannes Maphiri is credited with introducing him to clay pot decoration. He later became acquainted with the painter Ephraim Ngatane who was also employed decorating pots. During this period, Dumile, Maphiri and Ngatane, together with some other young artists, formed an informal art group, sharing skills and advice and displaying their artwork at the Open Art Fair in Joubert Park.

An article in ZonkJulysuggests that this was at the initiative of Ngatane. He has assembled a small number of young, budding artists at the Chiawelo Recreation Centre, where he does his painting and acts as a tutor. This same article carries a photograph of Ngatane, the portrait oil now held by the MTN Art Collection, Johannesburg and the young Dumile posing for the portrait.

At the time she had a financial interest in the Queens Gallery and she invited him to bring his drawings to the gallery. It is not documented that there were any commercial dealings between them at this time, but he remained in contact with her nevertheless. In she opened Gallery Miles, Fortuitously his artist acquaintance, Ephraim Ngatane, was also a patient at the Tuberculosis Clinic at the time.

Nursing staff drew the attention of the matron of the Clinic, Mrs. Foster, wife of the superintendent, to the artistic enterprise of her young patient and his acquaintances and as a dumile feni biography channel Dumile and his colleagues were asked to paint murals for the sanatorium. She provided them with art materials. Dumile, Ngatane and Sathekge also a patient at the time painted several murals in the wards and chapel.

Of these only one, dated and signed by Dumile, is still intact, the others having been covered by paint during renovations Miles, He viewed an exhibition of sculpture by Bobereki, one of the first exhibitions he had ever seen. He wished to meet the artist and went to Galleryhoping for an introduction. There he once again met Madame Haenggi, now the owner of the gallery.

He showed her some of his small sculptures and drawings.

Dumile feni biography channel: We discussed the potential to

Obviously impressed, she extended an invitation to him to exhibit at her gallery, which afforded him his first real commercial opportunity. The achievements of the period followed. Yet inevitably, despite the exhilaration of the positive response to the exhibitions and perceived success, Dumile found himself in an ambiguous position. On the one hand he was flying the flag for South Africa, while on the other his works were keenly critical of the political regime.

It was a situation that could not, for obvious reasons endure; the critical acclaim his works had received made him a target of officialdom:. I would not have had the harassment that I had if not for my ideas and also the titles — always the titles — that I give my work. Also some of the compositions that I did. There was a composition of a prisoner, of a victim - a group of figures where they are all tied up and you can see the strings.

Also I did a couple of pieces of Luthuli who … won the Nobel Prize. He was the leader of the African National Congress Cockcroft According to Lionel Ngakane the portrait sculpture of Luthuli by Dumile was the highlight of the exhibition when exhibited in Pretoria in The irony of this situation was that it was the high regard for his work in the art community that brought him to the attention of the political authorities.

In South Africa at the time, it was illegal for a black person to move to a city without official authority and proof of full time employment. Despite having a contract with Gallery he was refused a pass and threatened dumile feni biography channel relocation to a tribal homeland, a fate that would effectively have ended his artistic career.

A possible solution to this dilemma was for Dumile to leave the country. Dumile travelled alone on a segregated train from Cape Town to Queenstown. He became a patient at Isolation Hospital, now Philani Clinic. Dumile was discharged from the hospital, fully healed, and was reunited with his family after his father, stepmother, stepsiblings, and cousins moved to Queenstown.

Dumile withdrew from school in Grade 4, having just received his Standard One pass. From toDumile developed a substantial body of work. Several of his drawings and sketches, as well as several terra cotta busts, were exhibited and sold at the Queenstown Art Gallery. At age fifteen, Dumile was advised to pursue his artistic talent in Johannesburg.

His father had just died, and Dumile moved from Queenstown to Johannesburg thereafter. His stepmother moved to Johannesburg as well. Upon his arrival, Dumile was met by Amos, his cousin, who helped him become employed as a policeman at the Jeppe Police Station. There, Dumile decorated ceramic ornaments like pots, animals, and vases. He was introduced to bronze casting and model clay.

During this time, Dumile formed a loose art group with other artists to give advice, share skills and techniques, and display their work at the Open Art Fair in Joubert Park. CircaDumile was introduced to Madame Haenggi, who invited Dumile to bring some of his work to the Queens Gallery. Despite a lack of official records of any commercial dealing between Haenggi and Dumile at this time, the two remained in contact.

Haenggi would open Gallery in At 25, inDumile contracted tuberculosis again and became a patient at the Charles Hurwitz Santa Tuberculosis Hospital in Soweto.

Dumile feni biography channel: Zwelidumile Geelboi Mgxaji Mslaba

He spent three months recovering there. The hospital matron, Mrs. Forster, introduced him to other artists in the hospital, including Ephraim Mojalefa Ngatane, an established South African artist. Together they worked on murals in the hospital. Only one of these murals remains, datedand is signed by Dumile. After being discharged from the hospital, Dumile stayed with Ngatane in Soweto.

Feni left and jazz drummer Louis Moholo in Withuis, Worcester, South Africa. New York CityU. Early life [ edit ].

Dumile feni biography channel: The master of turbulent imagery

Career [ edit ]. Documentary [ edit ]. Personal life [ edit ]. Exhibitions [ edit ]. Solo exhibitions [ edit ]. Group exhibitions [ edit ]. Awards [ edit ]. Selected works and publications [ edit ]. References [ edit ]. South African History Online.