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Thus wrote Frank McEwen in 1971 for the catalogue of the Musee Rodin exhibition in Paris - one of the first major international exhibitions of Zimbabwean stone sculpture. Many regard him as the 'founder' of the movement and his words here provide an insight into its early days. They also serve as an assessment of the situation in which he found himself and of the future creative potential that he saw within the Zimbabwean people.
When Zimbabwe was still Rhodesia (it gained its Independence in 1980), it was decided that a National Gallery of Art should be built in its capital, Salisbury. In l954 Frank McEwen was asked to act as a consultant on the design of the gallery, as well as its permanent collection and future direction. At that time he was working in Paris as the Fine Arts representative of the British Council and had lived there since 1926. As a result McEwen had many valuable contacts and friends within European art circles and important experience necessary to direct a new gallery.
McEwen had been brought up in a house filled with art, including, significantly, fine examples of early African carving. His love of genuine creativity, born from these experiences, was later to be further influenced by the teachings of Gustave Moreau. These centred on the belief that true art is inherent within an individual; not taught or disciplined, but emanating from a person's spirit and natural desire to create. As McEwen was to write later,
"Art is a visual experience, entering the spirit by the eye to touch the subconscious and evolve. It must be free from the menace of those volumes of verbiage produced by some critics who neglect the visual for the intellectual and make art part of a fashionable game. It is the direct visual identification with harmony that can inspire a whole lifetime. "
It was on this basis that he was to work in Zimbabwe, gently guiding and 'defending' the new sculptors, always aiming to establish environments in which such 'natural' work could be created and appreciated. Towards the end of his years in Paris, such beliefs were becoming increasingly difficult to maintain. Artists such as Matisse, Picasso, Brancusi, Braque and Leger occupied 'star' status but new, younger talents were following paths that seemed, to McEwen, trivial by comparison. His disillusionment finally led him to write a somewhat controversial introduction to an exhibition catalogue in 1952. |
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In this he expressed his view that, "If some new vital art exists or is about to exist, it wiil occur elsewhere, imagined and created collectively in a different walk of life with a different raison d'etre. It will not depend upon the whims of art critics, but upon some original manifestation of the artistic mind, prompted by a new environment "
In writing this he had unwittingly predicted the future role of art in Africa and had positioned himself for the challenge that lay ahead of him.
On the advice of Herbert Read, Frank McEwen accepted the post of Director of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe (then called the Rhodes National Gallery}. As he watched the new building rise he was introduced to the ways and beliefs of the Shona people by a man called Thomas Mukarobgwa. They talked every day and Frank McEwen's open mind and heart (unusual at this time in colonial Rhodesia) ensured that much was discussed that was rarely shared with Europeans.
The intentions of the Gallery had been to exhibit art treasures from all over the 'developed' world, and not those of African cultures, but its new Director very quickly realised the artistic potential of the indigenous people around him. Using the ideas practised in his art workshop in Toulon, he quietly began encouraging local people to try their hand at art - initially, it would appear, in media with which they were familiar (ceramics, basketwork and weaving). But he also introduced the disciplines of European expression - most notably, painting on canvas. Hard facts about the precise order of this early development are difficult to place, but it is suggested in discussions with the earliest artists that McEwen encouraged the technigues of sculpture after seeing early work by men as Joram Mariga who, at that time had broken away from the use of soft stones and was experimenting with harder materials and more individualistic expression and themes. It must be remembered that there was already carving of a sort in Zimbabwe in the Fifties and Sixties.
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Having introduced the art audiences of Paris to Henry Moore (organising the first Paris exhibition of the sculptor's work in 1945) McEwen brought to Rhodesia celebrated art treasures from Europe. "shows of European masters from Rembrandt to Picasso, from mediaeval tapestry to Lurcat, with works lent from the Louvre, the Rijksmuseum, The StedeliJk, and London 's National and Tate Galleries. " |
But, perhaps more significantly, he brought to the attention of the Rhodesian citizens the innovative dynamism within the creative expression of the indigenous African people. This was contrary to the initial proposals of the authorities and he encountered consistent difficulties as well as an absence of support or pride in the work.
McEwen's role as spiritual 'leader' and, to some extent, 'protector' of the movement continued to the end of his Directorship in 1973. Soon after the initial interest from international collectors and organisations, McEwen sought a new venue for his Workshop School. Fearful of commercial pressures on the young work, he enlisted the help of sculptor, Sylvester Mubayi in establishing a rural community in the powerful environment of the Eastern Highlands of Zimbabwe - the Nyanga district - and named it Vukutu.
"In Vukutu, an ancient sanctuary of great beauty and complete isolation, surrounded by sculpture-like rocks, our best artists came to live in an art community. They hunted for pure food according to their belief in life-force. Here they produced their finest work away from the encroaching tourist trade. It was the best move we ever made. "
Despite the serious recognition and international success of the sculpture, tensions between Frank McEwen at the National Gallery and the establishment at that time governing Rhodesia continued to grow, eventually forcing him to resign from his post as Director in 1973.
Difficulties within the country also heightened at this time and a ten-year internal struggle finally led to Independence for the new Zimbabwe in l980. The years of war represented an extremely difficult period for the sculptors. Many abandoned their art and returned to more conventional activities; many were unable to work in the rural areas as these became increasingly dangerous. Lacking the system of support and encouragement that existed with Frank McEwen, some artists struggled in isolation, only to re-emerge as confident talents in the middle- to-late eighties.
Frank McEwen died on 15th January 1994. A lover and supporter of free creative expression and an acknowledged expert on the visual arts (in particular the 'primitive' arts), he was perhaps most respected for his role in the emergence of Zimbabwean stone sculpture and remained an authority in this field. McEwen was possessed of a deep love and commitment to art. It was his life. He believed that the creation of art drew out those higher spiritual values inherent in man and uplifted both maker and viewer.
Frank McEwen O.B.E., Chev. des Arts et Lettres 1908- 1994
This brief history of sculpture in Zimbabwe is provided as an educational service for visitors to our website. Copyright belongs to Joceline Mawdsley Former Exhibitions Curator Chapungu Sculpture Park, Harare, Zimbabwe and is excerpted from the book: Chapungu: The Stone Sculptures of Zimbabwe. Harare: Chapungu, 1997. Original article is to be found at:
http://www.thecore.nus.edu.sg/landow/post/zimbabwe/art/sculptors/mcewen.html
