Bittereinders
ROGER HOPLEY
4 Nov - 25th Nov, Mok Gallery Mokgallery.co.za
T
he ‘Bittereinders’ body of works deal with the Boere Plight presently but with strong reference to the past... where Nationalism and Patriotic Myth have little impact on a ‘reasonable’ outcome. I would like to revert to a Quote by the German writer, Herman Hesse, who nailed it for me in saying that the artist is not the message, nor the messenger... just the window. There is no intention for me as a painter to plan the outcome of the work at hand... it starts with some confusion and self-doubt... but miraculously developed a life of it’s own... almost intuitively guiding me to the end result. A result with which I cannot deny via the harshest self criticism, it’s validity to be shown... I cannot remember ever throwing away or destroying a work. Francis Bacon, one of my canvas heroes, did destroy a lot of works! The other thing I am almost proud of... strangely, is that the only works I have sold as a painter, have been commissions... flattering portraits of the rich and famous... but only a few of my ‘serious’ works. I do not paint for money... but these works are for sale... it is not the cheapest form of expression and shipping 50 paintings to South Africa from Germany... is almost a train crash. I was born in Somerset-West South Africa in 1959…went to various schools in the Western Cape and Natal, where I matriculated in 1977.I had been called up to perform my National Service in the South African Army in the Infantry Battalion in Bloemfontein… these orders came delivered to me and others directly to the classroom…
Right: Burning Proteas
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