Xhosa woman smoking a pipe 1945

George Pemba made this striking portrait of a Xhosa woman smoking a pipe in 1945, using oil on canvas with warm browns, blues, and creams. Imagine him standing there, brush in hand, mixing those earthy tones, trying to capture the woman’s presence. I wonder what Pemba was thinking as he painted? Maybe he was fascinated by the textures – the smooth curve of the pipe against the intricate folds of her headwrap. Look closely at the way the light catches the beads around her neck. You can almost feel the weight of them, the history they hold. There's a shadow of a figure behind her, in some ways this painting reminds me of the work of Alice Neel. Painters are always talking to each other, across time and space, you know? Each brushstroke is like a little conversation, a way of seeing and feeling the world, and trying to make sense of it all.