Sheperd 1969

Curator: The work before us, entitled "Shepherd," is a 1969 woodcut print by John Muafangejo. It's a striking example of narrative art. What's your first take? Editor: Woah, intense. Visually arresting. The stark black and white creates this immediate drama, a primal sort of scene unfolding. It feels like it could be illustrating some ancient myth. Curator: That rawness really speaks to Muafangejo's folk art sensibilities, aligning with the broader Black Arts Movement. Look at how the scenes are segmented – it's like reading frames of a traditional story. Editor: Exactly! It has that quality of oral tradition transferred into image, like the whole story is right there, even in its textual inclusions... what is he 'hittings' anyhow? Curator: "Hittings" indeed! Spelling aside, the inscription is direct: a boy tending cattle in the forest, a lion killing an ox, the same boy becoming the hunter who strikes the lion. It's a narrative about protecting one’s livelihood, the cyclical nature of life and death. The woodcut lends itself to bold, simplified forms, carrying significant cultural weight and reflecting the socio-political consciousness in Southern Africa at that time. The ox, lion, cattle – these animals as symbols! Editor: And I get that protective instinct, especially from his cultural position... This piece really stirs a deep ancestral awareness. It hits that primal nerve. Curator: Agreed. It is a great window into folk traditions using the lens of current events. What are your lasting impressions now? Editor: I leave with that story etched vividly. It's both historical document and potent fable; the boy, lion and oxen as enduring emblems. What about you? Curator: For me, it underscores how cultural memory survives, how it resurfaces through signs and pictures in powerful works of art. It is a good and thought-provoking piece.