Powerful symbolism in painting of strong leaders
Doctor Khumalo hopes his special project on women in leadership will reach Oprah's eyes and hands
Over the past five months, Mpumalanga-born artist Doctor Khumalo has been working on a special project: a stunning collage of the portraits of Oprah Winfrey, the late freedom fighter Winnie Madikizela-Mandela, former first lady and human rights activist Graca Machel, and the late president Nelson Mandela. The 30-year-old has been a professional artist since 2004, and has been commissioned for several challenging works, such as the portrait of world-renowned South African artist Gerard Sekoto, which he painted for the Steve Tshwete Municipality in Mpumalanga. He has also been commissioned for huge works for the corporate sector. “But this collage of portraits is the most difficult work I have ever done since I became an artist. I first painted the portrait of Mandela before starting on the three influential women leaders, and then I stopped painting for weeks, without knowing how to proceed to create the message that women have the capability to lead, and what is needed now is for me...
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