View of Table Bay, Bo-Kaap 1944

Gregoire Boonzaier must have stood in the sun to make this painting of Table Bay in Bo-Kaap, soaking up the heat and light, because it radiates warmth. You can almost feel the sun beating down on those rooftops and the quiet energy of the people gathered in the foreground. Look at how he's applied the paint—thick strokes, like he’s building up the scene, layer by layer. The blues of the water in the distance are so calming. I'm really drawn to the texture he created in the walls of the buildings. It's rough and uneven, but so full of life and the marks capture a moment in time, a specific place. Boonzaier was part of a movement of painters capturing local scenes and everyday life in South Africa. He wasn’t alone in this quest to celebrate the ordinary. It’s like he's saying, "Here it is, this is our world, isn't it beautiful?"