oil and collage on masonite board

Artwork date: 1988
Signature details: signed and dated bottom left
Exhibited: Tatham Art Gallery, Pietermaritzburg, '50 Years a Painter: Retrospective Exhibition', 7 May to 9 June 2002.
Gertrude Posel Gallery, Johannesburg, '50 Years a Painter: Retrospective Exhibition', 12 March to 26 April 2002.
SASOL Art Museum, University of Stellenbosch, '50 Years a Painter: Retrospective Exhibition', 2001 – 3 February 2002
NWU Gallery, University of North-West Potchefstroom, '50 Years a Painter: Retrospective Exhibition', 2001

(1)

52 x 62 cm; framed size: 56 x 66 x 4.5 cm

Provenance:

Private collection, Cape Town.

Gifted from the artist to the current owner.

ABOUT THE ARTWORK

Created in 1988, this winsome painting is an exceptionally rare work where Robert Hodgins applied elements of collage as part of the composition. Presented as a personal gift from the artist to a close friend in academia, the work has been in a private collection for over three decades and was included in Hodgins’ major retrospective exhibition Robert Hodgins: Fifty Years a Painter which travelled the country in 2002.

One of the most prominent and celebrated artists in South Africa, Hodgins' approach to painting was multifaceted and nuanced. His ability to blend humour, satire and emotional depth in his work sets him apart as an artist who challenged conventions and engaged with the complexities of contemporary urban life, but also the pleasures of being human and alive.

Here, in heavy direct brushwork, Hodgins presents a visually energetic scene in deep warmly dark colours, cramped with boldly outlined figures in what appears to be an enclosed space, while two figures on the outside are peeking in through the window and door. The strong diagonal lines, the unevenness of the composition and the unexpected juxtapositions create a sense of tension and movement within the painting. Quintessentially Hodgins, the subject of the painting is ambiguous and puzzling, presenting an open-ended narrative that invites deep unravelling.

The title, The Italian Trapeze Artist, referring to the figure on the left, seemingly balancing on a red line, offers a symbolic clue. A trapeze artist is someone who entertains people or spectators by doing difficult acts on a trapeze, a short bar hanging high above the ground on two ropes, traditionally in a circus. Hodgins' work delves deep into the vulnerabilities and imperfections of the human experience. And as much as the artist critiqued society, his paintings also reflect his introspection and exploration of the human psyche – a means to grapple with his emotions, thoughts, and experiences.

Hodgins presents the trapeze artist as a metaphor for the balancing act of life’s challenges and uncertainties, one’s struggles and triumphs as well as vulnerability and courage – all in public view. It could also read as a personal reflection of the artist's creative approach and process in taking risks and exploring new ways of creating – perhaps this is a moment of transition and personal evolution.

An intriguing and captivating painting, it is vintage Hodgins at its best. Almost Dada-like in form, it is the work’s unique visual distinctiveness and intellectual complexity (satirically disguised) that make it a significant and standout piece in the artist’s oeuvre.

Marelize van Zyl

COLLECTOR'S NOTE

The year before creating this work, Robert Hodgins was selected as the Winner of the Mutual Life Vita Art Now Awards in 1987. That same year he also presented his first solo exhibition with Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg. In 1995, Hodgins was awarded the Helgaard Steyn Award for painting and later received the Degree of Doctor of Literature, honoris causa from WITS University.

COLLECTIONS

The artist is represented in numerous local and international collections, notably, the Anglo American collection, Johannesburg.; Johannesburg Art Gallery, Johannesburg.; Sandton Art Gallery, Johannesburg.; Pretoria Art Museum, Pretoria.; South African National Gallery, Cape Town.; the University of the Witwatersrand Art Galleries, Johannesburg and the William Humphreys Art Gallery, Kimberly, South Africa.