What I immediately noticed was the organic shape Matsoso created. This is true of the overall silhouette and the shaping within the figure. The angle from which he decided to depict this figure created a great deal of overlapping and space. Certain body parts are placed over others in creating this dancing figure. In doing so, Matsoso also has shown space. You can see which parts of the figure are in the foreground like the right leg and right hand, middle ground like the head, core and left leg and in the background like the leg hand.
When I came upon this artwork, I actually thought it was a sculpture. It could be because of my screen but I choose to site the amount of texture and surface quality for the reason for my assumption. The texture in this varies so and that is because of the line choices. "African Tribal Dance" by Matsoso is all about the lines. It is what makes the piece. There is a copious amount of lines in the figure and lines that make the outline of the figure. Value wise, there isn't huge contrast. The shades chosen depict depth but not in a drastic way. The colors chosen are the same; they don't have much contrast. Matsoso used different shades of the same color. It only ranges from a beige/tan to a darker brown.
Looking at this work, I see haunting, profound beauty and pain in the dancer's face. The way in which the face and head are cocked to the side, seemingly dangling and detaching from the rest of the body portrays the dedication it take to keep such an art form (tribal dance) alive. All of the parts of the dancer are contorted not only on the figure but within it's self. For instance, if you looking at one of the legs, you see that it comes from the hip in an an natural way and the leg itself has a knee that buckles in the opposite direction from where it should. This is to display transformation and departure from what we perceive as natural, normal or even beautiful. these organic shapes give off such a sense of hardness. Many parts even resemble actual rocks yet the muted colors give off softness. There is that juxtaposition which gives complexity. For something that appears so poignant and rough, the absence of black appears to redeem that harshness. Matsoso's piece visually striking, beautiful and powerful yet delicate.
P.S. - The screenshot doesn't do this piece justice. I tried to save it but it wasn't an option from the google art project, unfortunately. I
Great selection Khalilah! It's clear why you chose to write about shape first- such a strong element of this artwork, both overall shape and all the individual shapes that make up the figure. And your interpretation about the work being both joyful and also possibly expressing pain is very observant. Well done!
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