This work (plate 56) by Mthokozisi depicts a view through the open door of his neighbour’s house in Mpuzuma, outside Pietermaritzburg. The view is framed by the open door with its handle on the right, and by the wall and the door jamb on the left. The house is obviously in a raised position on a hillside similar to that of the other houses seen on the hills across the valley. A power pylon, indicative of the recent electrification of Mpuzuma, stands amid some bushes on the left. It seems to support a washing line with washing. In the foreground, a black and a white dog seem to be greeting each other in a typical canine fashion. This is an unusually quiet and contemplative work in that it is devoid of the human presence so forcibly omnipresent in virtually all scenes of so-called ‘township’ life. Mthokozisi currently works as a full-time artist, mainly on portraits.
Hayden Proud
