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Tuesday 31 May 2016

Kwela Africa





PAUL KLEE

MY INTERPRETATION OF KLEE’S PAINTING:

‘FUGUE IN RED’ 1921




This painting of Paul Klee caught my attention and I kept going back to it so I guess this was the one I felt I wanted to put my own interpretation onto.  I liked the colours and the shapes but decided I wanted to put an African twist into my piece.  Klee loved music and painting in equal parts and was in fact an accomplished violinist and when creating a lot of his work he interpreted pieces of music into his work.  He is quoted as saying, that “It’s terrible to marry when you are wildly in love with someone else.  That’s the truth.  My mistress is and was music, and I embrace the goddess of the paintbrush, smelling of oil, who is also my wife.’

I have called my piece:


KWELA AFRICA

I wanted the shapes to dance, in homage to his love of music, and therefore have called this piece as above.  For those of you who don’t know what Kwela is I suggest you go onto Youtube and listen to some of Africa’s greatest musicians who play this and where this music originated, back in the day.  When listening to African music you can hear this theme running through some of their modern music even today.  In the shaded areas above the tiangles I used masking tape and oil paint sticks and I also used the paint sticks to give the 'shadows' on the left of the shapes.








11 comments:

  1. I shall have to go and listen to youtube as this is a form of music I know nothing about! I very much like the way you have produced the shadows, and have used Klee's shapes to produce a very different feel to the piece.

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  2. I'm listening to the results of my search for 'Kwela' as I type and can see this music in your quilt. Your shape repetition has a 'jaunty' rhythm to it.

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  3. Your shapes are dancing, Patricia! Much movement here.

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  4. Of course I know Kwela music or 'penny whistle' music as we used to call it - now I'm going to get all homesick, Patricia. I hadn't spotted your Klee painting when I did my search but found it just now - and your interpretation is spot on. Great choice and result. H

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  5. I'm listening and tapping my feet! Your piece definitely dances - a lovely way of showing Klee's piece.

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  6. This lovely quilt is full of exuberance and the shapes definitely dance across the piece. I love it .R

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  7. Well done Patricia. You have got us all tapping away. Love the intro of the blue. It has added some vibrancy which is so typically Kwela.

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  8. Well done Patricia. You have got us all tapping away. Love the intro of the blue. It has added some vibrancy which is so typically Kwela.

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  9. Nice interpretation, the added colour gives it some zing.

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  10. Definitely more fun to interpret Kwela rhythmns instead of a fugue. Your wavey stitching increases the bounce!

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  11. I hadn't seen this painting of Klee's before. Your interpretion dances

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