Hamilton Gallery: South African Art and Artists

At Hamilton Gallery you’ll find a showcase of South African artists and artisans, whom have their studios, lives and inspiration rooted in the various cities, cultures and landscapes of South Africa. South African Art has a rich and eventful history, having long been seen as world-class and worthy of international praise and reverence.

The artists, living and working in South Africa, as well as those abroad – bring a unique perspective, which could only come from having experienced our air, our light, our people, our history and our current state. South African landscapes are some of the most varied and dramatically beautiful in the world.

Greta Mcmahon Par-Avio

Greta Mcmahon Par-Avio

Dave Robertson Subtraction-No.9

Dave Robertson Subtraction-No.9

The South African painters, sculptors and printmakers we have chosen to represent, keep the love of South Africa alive. Each artist brings their own sense of wonder, their own nostalgia and perspective which is inherently influenced by being an artist in South Africa.

South African Artists

Jenny Parsons

Jenny Parsons, although, having recently completed a residency in Paris ( creating sublime plein air paintings of Parisian scenes), has set up studio in Woodstock, Cape Town. Some of her current paintings reflect the scenes she sees from her studio… the rooftops of Woodstock – under which the vibrant, bustling and lively day to day activities of these Cape Town residents, commuters and business owners can be seen, heard and even smelt – there being cafes, restaurants , bakeries, local tearooms interspersed.

Parsons’ paintings also include Karoo and Western Cape landscape scenes, in bold and pure colours, applied with sure, affirmative brushstrokes. Parson’s South African landscapes and representations of the Cape flora and fauna, are truly a celebration of the beauty we find around us, in the Western Cape. More from Jenny

Jenny Parsons Sunlit Hill

Pierre Botha

Pierre Botha is another artist based in the Eastern Cape. Pierre ‘lives and breathes’ his art-making, immersing himself in quintessential South African landscapes in and around the Karoo, to create large and small masterpieces that depict not only the scenes found on farms and in the mountains, but the mood and atmosphere – the way a place like this enters ones bones and makes one feel. More from Pierre

Pierre Botha Cloud Power

Jeremiah van der Want

Jeremiah van der Want Blue Sky

Jeremiah van der Want is a multi-disciplinary artist currently living in Hogsback in the Eastern Cape. He has allowed himself to be isolated, residing in a wooden cabin he has built on his own, in the company of only the trees and wildlife surrounding him. Jeremiah’s works have included portraits of Baboons, portrayed in an endearing and compassionate way; jackals; lionesses; as well as various landscapes. His miniature landscapes of mountains, trees and the veld around his hometown, Queenstown, are enigmatic, giving one the sense of vast space and silence he found himself in, to find his inspiration. His work, like the others mentioned, can be nothing but, art that conveys an appreciation for nature, particularly in South Africa, although his work could resonate with anyone who has a connection to nature and wildlife of all kinds. More from Jeremiah

Jeremiah van der Want Winter Hills

Greta Mcmahon

Greta Mcmahon, too, takes herself into various special landscapes and mountain ranges where she can witness waterfalls, rivers, forests, undergrowth, vast spaces, greenery and sounds conducive to meditation such as rivers running over rocks, birds at dawn. She will camp in the mountains, feel the extremes of temperature in the changing seasons. This direct exposure to the elements and the landscapes she depicts – gives them a strong, powerful expression and a lasting impact. The depth of the greens she uses in her mountain-scapes and the quickness and uninhibitedness of her brushstrokes and mark-making, are seemingly a result of being fully present IN her surroundings, which form her subject-matter. More from Greta

Greta Mcmahon Birdsong

Dave Robertson

Dave Robertson’s digital prints and original painted photographs, show Cape Town street scenes, bringing to the surface, the undercurrents of day to day life in Salt River, and other parts of Cape Town. His addition of almost surreal painted forms and shapes, give a feeling of parallel forces, and energies that merge with the everyday.

Dave Robertson Searle Street no.1

Robertson’s abstracts do have their origins in South African life and the philosophies he has cultivated after years of being a part of this land and this mix of cultures and belief systems. His art-making is a philosophical journey, during which he continues to enquire and investigate, based on what he witnesses. Dave Robertson is an artist living and creating art that is rooted in South Africa, but is universal in appeal. More from Dave

Hamilton Gallery has many other artists on display, including Khuliule Ngobese of Kwa-Zulu Natal. His works show poignant scenes, such as a boy reading by candlelight. His painting of a boy running, pushing a friend in a wheelbarrow, is a scenes many South Africans will remember from childhood. His portraits of workers, coming home after a long day; or his own self-portraits, have a strong South African feel and sense of identity.

Many more talented South African artists’ paintings, ceramics, digital prints, and photographic art can be found currently at Hamilton Gallery. Please pay us a visit to see some of what South Africa has to offer in terms of original, impactful art.