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A different view

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 In South Africa (maybe elsewhere too, but I can only speak for my own country) we have the tendency to overwork things. Especially artwise. What is in vogue on the interior decoration scene at the moment (on linen, curtaining,scatter cushions and even t-shirts and facebook), are scenes of rural or farm life, complete with windmill, tractor and with patriotic sayings printed all over the place: “Afrikaners is plesierig” (Afrikaans speaking people are happy go lucky) and “Die Kaap is Hollands”(a very old saying meaning that everything is quite alright).

     A decade or two ago there was a season of guinea fowl. They were depicted on everything from artists’ canvas to dinnerware. I remember a dinner set I had hand painted for a client with a typical bespeckled border and some guinea fowl grazing with you in the middle of the dinner plate.

     Another theme that was very much in vogue and still makes me feel nauseous, was paintings by all and sunder of cosmos flowers(Cosmos bipinnatus). These lovely pink and white wild flowers grow in abundance on the highveld and bloom during autumn, flooding the veld and roadsides with waves of marshmellowy softness. It is not for nothing it is named after the Greek word "kosmos" that means beautiful.

I guess these overworked themes could be classified under the art category of Kitsch. It is not fair to rural or farm life, guinea fowl or cosmos flowers. All of these are worthy art subjects, but I tend to shy away from them because heaven forbid that I be seen to do kitsch! Still, I couldn’t resist taking my camera along when we went for a walk to appreciate the sea of cosmos flowers bordering our homestead.

     The setting sun provided the golden softness perfect for picture taking. But how to photograph cosmos so as to show off it’s humble and honest beauty?

     It was then I saw the translucence of a patch of cosmos from the back as they stood facing the sun. Maybe I'm overworking this one, but I couldn’t help wondering if I’m missing out on beauty because I disregard the backside of things.

Photograph by Matilda Clifford


Matilda







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