Featured art events | ART TIMES
Da Vinci - The Genius Report by Lyn Holm : Fresh from its extended run in the Mother City, Da Vinci – The Genius opens at The Amazing Place in Woodmead, Sandton, early this month. This once-in-a-lifetime view of Leonardo’s work reveals the full scope of his talents as an artist, engineer, anatomist, military strategist, architect and musician. Although one does not get the privilege of seeing the genuine Mona Lisa (she is not leaving the Louvre for anyone), visitor to this exhibition will see something even more exciting: how the Mona Lisa looked in its former glory and how it has changed over the years. By employing the most advanced in scan technology, French engineer Pascal Cotte presents infra-red images of the famous work’s under-painting, transporting the viewer right back to the master’s easel. Art-lovers will also learn about how The Last Supper was painted, and be able to see every tiny detail in a 1000 DPI scan of The Lady of the Ermine and a painting only recently discovered as being the work of Da Vinci, Bella Principessa. Those fascinated by human and animal biology will be enthralled by beautifully magnified anatomical sketches, Da Vinci’s studies of the Vitruvian man
2 April - 22 June 2014
and nature’s mathematical recipe for perfect form, the golden ratio. Budding engineers will be gobsmacked by the sheer volume of technological advances directly deriving from Da Vinci’s designs. Models of these devices and mechanisms constructed in materials Da Vinci might have used are placed beside their original design drawings, stimulating the imagination and leaving your mouth agape. A number of these models are interactive, something kids of all ages will enjoy. Musicians will love the quirky adaptations Da Vinci made to some well-loved instruments and all who dream of flight will be blown away by his self-propelling flying and gliding devices. In short, there is something for every thinking mind at Da Vinci – The Genius and each visitor is sure to walk away inspired to develop his/her talents beyond all conceivable limitation. Tickets are available online from Webtickets, www.webtickets.co.za. Visitors will also be able to purchase tickets at the venue from 2 April 2014 (although online bookings are recommended to avoid disappointment in the event of tickets selling out). For more information on this exhibition, visit www.davinciexhibition.co.za.
Caroline van der Merwe’s Overview Exhibition | Pietrasanta Sculptures
17 April - 30 April 2014 Opening Event : 19 April (18:00)
An exhibition of works from every stage of Caroline van der Merwe’s career is coming to The Studio, Kalk Bay this month. Curated by her daughter, Heidi Smuts, this exhibition displays some of the artist’s final works completed before her death in 2012; including marbles, bronzes, terracottas, drawings and etchings, as well as the four archangels which have never been exhibited before. Born in 1932 in Tanzania, Caroline later married a South African and brought her children up in Cape Town. After earning a diploma in Dress Design at a technical college in Durban, Caroline studied sculpture under Bill Davis and Lippy Lipschitz at the Michaelis School of Art in Cape Town. A comment made by the painter Stanley Pinker that she drew like a sculptor, encouraged her decision to pursue this medium further. Aside from prominent South African galleries collecting her work, Caroline was honoured in 1995 with a major retrospective exhibition at the University of Stellenbosch/Sasol Gallery. She also won first prize, Europremio, in Pavia, Italy in 1999. Caroline’s initial ventures were influenced by Brancusi and Henry Moore. She later moved into abstracted bird and fish forms, and female torsos. In the 1970s she established her style in the realism of Michelangelo, concentrating on the male figure.
»» Caroline van der Merwe : “Archangel Raphael” 2010. Resin
SA ART TIMES. APRIL 2014
Caroline’s male figures lent themselves heavily to interpreting the restrictions created by the Apartheid in South Africa. Her figures were bound or constricted symbolizing humanity’s battle with its failings, fears and inner turmoil. Considering the political atmosphere as well as her ability to portray human suffering, a seemingly natural progression was to re-interpret the crucifixion. Disturbed by the political situation in South Africa, Caroline moved to Pietrasanta, Italy in 1983. Here, Caroline lived out her days happily but never lost contact with her roots in Africa. As the political climate in South Africa started to clear, Caroline was able to liberate her work in dance figures and a new sensuous female form, freeing her craft from the contortion. Growing older and challenged by her mortality, Caroline’s last pieces were dedicated to the archangels. After her death in 2012, Caroline’s daughter found a quote she had written about the last four works she was able to complete, “Why archangels I cannot say, it just came to me in a flash. I have done male figures, then female figures and now that I am close to my 80th year, maybe it is time I got to know them as well.” For more information contact: Heidi Smuts (heidi.smuts@uct.ac.za or mobile 074 068 2279)
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