Speelman Mahlangu

This is a fascinating picture by Speelman Mahlangu (1958-2004) who was a black South African artist. It's a picture that you can see something different in each time you look at it and seems able to evoke both the ancient and the futuristic at the same time.

It conjures up feelings of life, evolution of birth and re-birth. Which came first the chicken or the egg?

'Speelman’s painting incorporate symbols and patterns from Ndebele murals and Egyptian hieroglyphics. They often describe things that one cannot see but can only feel. His themes include an exploration and spiritual mythical ideas of the world to come.' (www.henrytaylorgallery.co.za/artists/81-speelman-mahlangu.html)

Speelman Mahlangu 1993

Jerzy Faczynski

Picked up this painting recently by Jerzy Faczynski (1917-1995) a Polish born British based artist who lived and worked for a time in Liverpool and painted and sketched street scenes including churches using a variety of media. He also designed book covers for Penguin notably Pnin by Nabakov in 1960.

What we love about this picture is that it has a spooky, magical story type feel to it straight out of the Brothers Grimm. What's in those woods and where is that path going? You can imagine it in a story book or as a still from an animated film. Fabulous.

Jerzy Faczynski