Vernacular images of childhood in the work of Lebohang Sithole

Abstract

This visual essay presents a critical analysis of paintings by the South African artist, Lebohang Sithole, and focuses on those paintings drawn from his memory of childhood and the past. The predominant theme, a young African child, is examined as vernacular imagery. He uses the motif of the African child to reflect on different, often painful, experiences he had growing up in rural areas of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Selected paintings were analysed for their formal content and contexts, and the discussion is framed by insights gained through interviews with the artist. The works powerfully evoke the hardships of children growing up in the impoverished rural areas in South Africa. It is argued that Sithole’s recurrent portrayal of black African children engages a discourse that contributes to global contemporaneity.

Keywords:

• Vernacular
• contemporary art
• African children
• South Africa
• painting

Notes

1 Gerard Bhengu, South African History Online, https://www.sahistory.org.za/people/gerard-bhengu

2 A term used for grandmother in Zulu culture. These senior women often become the sole parents for orphaned grandchildren, some who are not even their biological kin.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sule James

Sule Ameh James earned his Ph.D. in Visual Studies at the Department of Visual Arts, University of Pretoria, South Africa, in 2019. His doctoral thesis is entitled, Tracing the Idea of African Vernacular-Rooted Art: A Critical Analysis of Selected Contemporary South African and Nigerian Artists (2007-2016). Based on this and new research, he is preparing a series of publications, centred on contemporary African art history and visual culture.