Simon Lekgetho is known for his still lifes and portrait paintings despite never having completed any formal art training. Self-Portrait (1957) showcases the painter’s exploration of colour, shadow, and form in a somewhat geometrically inspired manner, capturing a sombre glance directed at the viewer. He has painted each of his features strongly, perhaps amplifying certain aspects, like the pointed jut of his chin and the crown- like shape of his head. These deliberate exaggerations serve to emphasise different attributes of himself. His eyes and lips are more delicately painted, and his rendering of his skin tone in yellows and aquamarine blues demonstrates an intriguing play with colour, indicative of the artist’s keen understanding of colour. Set against a muted orange background, there is the sense that the artist was painting in the Western tradition of portraiture, particularly within the tradition of self- portraiture – so much so that he has signed it with the words “self-portrait”.
This is the first time the work of Simon Lekgetho is presented at Biennale Arte.
—Heba Elkayal
