On Distance: From art history to Ernest Mancoba

In this thesis the central narratives of Western art history, specifically those related to modernism and African art, are considered in light of a climate of criticism concentrated over the past thirty years in Western and South African an historiography. In considering complexities of interpretation of the life and work of the African modernist painter, Ernest Mancoba, I address a perceived need for a critical discourse pertaining to early black South African modernist art. As a way of organising both my critique and contribution, I establish and use the thematic of distance. This work argues for greater consideration of individual motivation and circumstance in our understanding of early African modernist art production.

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

Michaelis School of Fine Art

Year dc:date.issued

2007

Author dc:creator

• Ralphs, SCT

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Godby, Michael

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/11427/8203

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/8203