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Esther Mahlangu Quotes
born 1935 South Africa
Esther Mahlangu (born 11 November 1935) is a South African artist. She is known for her bold large-scale contemporary paintings that reference her Ndebele heritage.
Random Esther Mahlangu quote
17 quotes
"I love to travel, but I love most to come home again. It makes me happy if people like Ndebele art.”
“I want them to take away a sense of excitement, a sense of how vibrant the arts are in Africa,”
“Being recognized at home is such a blessing. It shows that my people still see the great work that I do,”
“My art has evolved from the tribal tradition of decorating our homes. The patterns I have used on the BMW Art Car marry tradition to the essence of BMW.”
“As children grow up today, they’re losing their culture. I don’t want my culture to die. That’s why I teach children Ndebele art. They must know their culture and where they come from.”
“Ndebele painting comes from a context of architecture. It is the painting of the house."
“Ndebele art is naturally grandiose in form and only needed the concept of motion added.”
“In the old days, the decoration on the houses was always done with natural pigment and cow dung as that was the only material available,”
“Geometry and pattern is a theme that just permeates African art,”
“To paint is in my heart and in my blood,”
“Every single afternoon when they went to have a nap, I’d try to paint. I got into trouble every day until eventually they realized that in my heart I wanted to paint.”
“When looking at a Ndebele mural, people get a smile of amazement on their faces. And if they watch me paint, they can’t believe that I don’t use a ruler to paint the lines, and that my hand is so steady, even at my age. If people see the bright colors, they are happy. And it makes me happy as well, as I love to paint; it is in my heart and in my blood.”
"This culture must not die. Our young people are vandalising our traditions. This is why I try to motivate them"
“I always watched my mother and grandmother when they were decorating the house,”
“I love to paint and have been doing it my whole life. I will paint anything, as long as there’s a benefit where my culture can be preserved, where somebody growing up can value and never forget their Ndebele roots.”
“What many find interesting about my artworks is that although they are based on traditional Ndebele designs, they are still very modern and current. They can fit into a home or office anywhere in the world and don’t appear dated.”
“When you get married, you paint your first house. It’s very important to have straight lines and not zigzag lines because your family members will come and look. If your lines are perfectly straight, then you are a very good wife and can look after your family.”
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