Gerard Sekoto

• What is the title of Gerard Sekoto's oil painting created between 1946 and 1947?

  The song of the Pick
• What style characterizes Gerard Sekoto's work?

  Figurative
• What medium did Gerard Sekoto use for his painting "The song of the Pick"?

  Oil painting
• What technique is noted in Sekoto's oil painting?

  Strong brushstrokes
• What is the political message conveyed in "The song of the Pick"?

  It contrasts the physical power of workers with the weakness of the white warden
• How does the title "The song of the Pick" relate to the visual work?

  The viewer can nearly 'hear' the song of the pick through the visual representation
• What is the subject of "The song of the Pick"?

  A group of black workers with their picks
• How are the workers depicted in "The song of the Pick"?

  They have identical postures with their picks high above their heads
• What are the formal art elements present in "The song of the Pick"?

  • Simplified shapes
  • Strong diagonal line formed by black figures
  • Predominantly primary colors: red, yellow, blue
  • Emotional impact from subjective colors
  • Strong contrasts between light and dark for roundness
  • Cropped top to place viewer in action
  • Asymmetrical composition with workers on the left and warden on the right
  • Rhythm created by repetition of shapes and colors
• What is the title of Gerard Sekoto's oil painting created in 1944?

  Prison Yard
• What psychological difference does Sekoto explore in "Prison Yard"?

  The contrast between the prisoners' captivity and the guard's freedom
• How are the prisoners depicted in "Prison Yard"?

  They are squashed together with their arms close to their bodies
• What inspired Sekoto to create "Prison Yard"?

  His residence facing the Roeland Street jail
• What does the composition of "Prison Yard" emphasize?

  The confinement of the prisoners with no open spaces to escape
• What are the formal art elements present in "Prison Yard"?

  • Figures fill the canvas with minimal landscape suggestion
  • Distortion in the depiction of figures
  • Roundness and solidity in shapes
  • Diagonal lines create composition
  • No open spaces for escape
  • Focus on the group of figures
  • Use of mainly primary colors
  • Repetition of form contrasting prisoners with the guard