The Initiation, pastel painting on paper, Lynette Swanepoel, Thabo Mofutsanyane, South Africa
I recently chatted with South African artist Lynette Swanepoel about her portrait art. Lynette lives about three hours from Johannesburg, on Libanon Farm next to Libanon Mountain which is close to a small town named Bethelhem–“so it almost sounds as if I am in the Middle East, but I’m not. I’m in the middle of South Africa,” she says. Lynette farms dairy cattle with her family and they also have Arabian horses, and plant maize and wheat. Before farming Lynette taught Graphic design at a University for many years. “I wish I had time to just do art, but the farm takes up some time and I also teach visual art at local schools as well as digital photography.”
Depending on where you live, that may seem a bit on the wild side! I also asked her if there were villages nearby. Lynette told me that there are many villages all around her, and that the young man in her portrait(above), “is a South African but from the South Sotho tribe which originated in Kingdom of Lesotho our neighbouring country right in middle of South Africa. We stay near the border. It is also known as the Mountain Kingdom.”
Photo by Lynette Swanepoel
Lynette explained the details in her pastel painting titled Initiation–“Yes. We had to get special permission to attend the final day when they are washed from the clay that covered them and they are dressed in traditional Bashoto blanket. We could attend the end to take some photos. This particular boy (I know him) looked traumatized and not very comfortable. He must have endured quite a lot.”
The next logical question to ask is–What is the young man in your portrait being initiated into?
Lynette Swanepoel’s pastel portrait of “The Old man with cap. He is an introvert and one can see in the way he almost does not allow you to see into his eyes. He is a cattle herder and looks after all the cattle on the farm.”
Lynette says that the “Initiation is part of many African cultures and this particular boy belongs to the Sotho culture. The initiation leads to or gives them their ‘passage’ into manhood. In these tribes it is part of becoming a man. There is however also a lot of controversy around the whole ritual and process.”
Lynette Swanepoel describes this portrait, “The Old woman has an aristocratic air about her, being a very simple person leading a life in rural area, she still shows a lot of pride and strength in character.”
Lynette Swanepoel pastel portrait, ” This is a portrait of my mother-in-law, I am busy with, she loved roses and always pruned the rosebush before spring. She has died and this is a tribute to her.”
Lynette Swanepoel’s tea-stain and pencil portrait. “The girl with tea stain (In my mind) Is a pencil drawing. I wanted to make it more feminine and soft. The tea refers to tea-time when the lady takes out the porcelain and have leisure time and the print of the “crochet doily ” refers to a tradition among White South Africans, The grandmother will crochet these little tray doilies and pass it on to the girl as part of her give away when she gets married. For a long time it was considered as “kitsch” and hidden away but now crotchet items has become popular again. ( This is part of a series.)”
I enjoyed interviewing Lynette and thank her for the wonderful chat.
