Terence King; South African 1947-; Field Emblem No V
Provenance : [Propriété non datée]
- The Engen Collection
Exhibited : Goodman Gallery, Johannesburg, circa 1984.
Literature : R J Angel (no date) Mobil Court Art Collection: A Collection of South African Visual Art, Mobil Oil Southern Africa, illustrated in colour, unpaginated.
Notes : "Field Emblem No V, though primarily abstract, is deeply rooted in observation. This painting marks an early entry in a continuing series of works exploring landscape and maritime themes, focused on how human presence imposes structure and geometry on the natural world. The work reflects on the historical markers of land - symbols of possession and dispossession -rendered with an emblematic quality. These themes are expressed through layered, textured passages of paint that suggest both accumulation and excavation."-Terence King, 2025. Terence King is a South African artist and academic who holds a Master of Arts in Fine Art from the University of the Witwatersrand, awarded in 1978. King's practice is rooted in close observation of the physical world, yet it moves beyond literal representation to explore how environments bear the traces of history. His work investigates how meaning is inscribed in place. Using a combination of detailed, recognisable imagery and loosely layered, excavated paint surfaces, King evokes the tension between the un-tamed nature of the landscape and the structured imposition of human intervention. His visual language draws on familiar elements from built and natural environments to reflect the layered, often contested histories embedded in specific sites. King enjoyed a distinguished academic career, serving as Professor of Art History and Fine Art at the University of KwaZulu-Natal until his retirement. Prior to that, he taught at the University of the Witwatersrand, University of South Africa and Natal Technikon. Over the course of his career, he has participated in approximately 50 group exhibitions and 14 solo or joint exhibitions. His work is held in major public collections, including the South African National Gallery, Durban Art Gallery, Tatham Art Gallery in Pietermaritzburg and four university collections. Thanks to Terence and Pam King for assistance in the cataloguing of this lot.
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