In this essay I will consider the features of Zeus as emphasized by mythology, and draw conclusions on the nature of the Greek gods as opposed to Christianity. 

According to Hesiod’s Works and Days, before Zeus ruled gods and mortals his father Cronus dictated a golden race. This was the first of four races created by the gods. The last three were fashioned by Zeus after he took the golden throne of Olympus from Cronus. The silver race came after the golden race and were destroyed by Zeus because they refused to pay tribute to the gods.

Animal sacrifice was hugely important to the gods. Human sacrifice however was not acceptable. It was okay for the gods to swallow each other (Zeus with his pregnant wife Metis, and Cronus who swallowed Zeus’s brothers and sisters) because they cannot die. This was not the case when Lycaon served Zeus his dismembered son. Infuriated Zeus punished Lycaon’s insolence by turning him into a wolf and striking his remaining sons down with thunderbolts.

Animal sacrifice in Christianity became outdated with the New Testament however the Christian god sacrificed his son Jesus for the sins of the people and long before the crucifixion he ordered Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac to show how deep his love for the god went, before stopping Abraham as he was about to obey.

The third race that came before us –the fourth and final Iron race, was the bronze race. It is here that versions of this myth change. It is said that Zeus grew tired of the Bronze species and wanted to exterminate them to make space for an improved race, but they eradicated themselves with relentless fighting before he had the chance. 

Yet in another version one that links to Christianity, is that he brought about a primeval flood to destroy the bronze people save for two, Deucalion and Pyrrha. This couple would become the race that all modern humans are descended from just like Noah and his family. Unlike with Noah, who was instructed by God himself to build an ark, Deukalion was warned by his father Prometheus to build a chest to hide his wife and himself in until the flood was over. After nine days and nine nights their chest came to rest on mount Parnassus. The first thing Deukalion did was make a sacrifice to Zeus, who showing he could be a just god granted him a favour – to repopulate the earth.

Out of all the Olympians Zeus is most like the Christian god, not in character but in power. He controls the skies, the weather and law and order just like the Christian god. He is also at times called the father, as he is the ruler of all the gods, goddesses and mortal men. But the two also have many differences. The Christian god does not ever change his form although he represents three persons - The father, the son and the Holy Spirit. Zeus could change his form and he particularly liked to use it when he was trying to seduce a woman. An example of this being when he transformed himself into a white bull and carried Europa off into the sea and to the island of Crete.

Zeus was an incredibly temperamental and egotistical god who could wipe out an entire race for not respecting the gods or if he felt they were not up to standard. The bible states that the Christian god is a perfect being with no human flaws and vices. This is definitely not the case with the twelve Olympians who have proven time and time again that they have human flaws. They fight, argue, act irrationally and are heavily prejudice thus reducing themselves to mortal level.

In most cases it is Zeus who is trying to reign the other gods and goddesses in. Such as in The Odyssey by Homer - Poseidon and Zeus argue over the fate of Odysseus. Zeus wants him to go home while Poseidon wants him killed sending storms to delay him and ultimately forcing Zeus to intervene. The Christian god has none of these flaws and is said to only act with perfect fairness and justice.

Therefore the nature of the wrathful, temperamental and egotistic Greek gods is wholly different to the one all-powerful Christian god who is said to be all forgiving, but who has no mortal flaws or vices like that of the Olympians.

CLS1501 Essay Greek Mythology UNISA

10:38

(Hausmann, Raoul, The Art Critic,1919-1920,Photomontage and collage,12 3/8 x 9 7/8 in, Tate Gallery, London)

Conceptual art, internet art, happenings, video art, digital installations, nano art, bio art and interactive art all have commonalities which include the fact that they are often not considered true art movements and technology is a huge influence in their creation. I have chosen to discuss eight artworks that represent each of these art movements while providing a short interpretation of each.

To conceptual artists the idea behind the work they produce is much more important than the finished artwork. It was this view that brought about the creation of Dadaism, the concept of anything can be art including a urinal. Of course the Dadaist’s originally wanted to create a mockery of art while artists during the 1960’s only wanted to experiment with art that emphasized ideas rather than a physical product. The name of the movement was created by Sol LeWitt who wrote, “The idea itself, even if it is not made visual, is as much of a work of art as any finished product.” In his essay entitled, “Paragraphs on Conceptual Art.”[1] The work of artists like Sol LeWitt allowed photography, music and architectural drawings to become as much a part of the aesthetic as painting and sculpture.

The artist Raoul Hausmann was another artist who broke the barriers of the art world by assisting in the founding of the Dada movement in Berlin. He claims to have invented photomontage which he uses in many of his artworks such as, ‘The Art Critic’,[2] where you can see Haussmann’s cubic influence in the angular and almost geometric way he places his photomontage together. The aboutness of this artwork jumps right of the page at you. The critic, as such, seems to be wearing an outfit that is reminiscent to me of the Nazis, which is a vicious take on someone who is only doing their job, but from this one can clearly see that Haussmann disliked art critics to such a degree he would compare them to Nazi’s.

The art critic is dressed fashionably in a dull suit, his eyes and mouth have been replaced by scribbles and he is surrounded by random bits and pieces. Haussmann included a shoe on his forehead along with what appears to be a playing card below the footwear. To the right of the figure is a women and a silhouette of a man and in the critics hand is a spear. Clearly the critic takes blind stabs at the work of others when he cannot even think for himself. The shoe is a good indication of that, for it displays that he is led by others as if to critic is a game of chance and not of following one’s own opinion. I believe that this artwork is a good interpretation of the Conceptual art movement as the idea behind the actual artwork is by far more important than the photomontage.

Internet art on the other hand, is a form of digital art that is distributed via the internet and is mostly interactive. It is this interaction that attracts viewers and participants and has thus removed the traditional aesthetic experience of galleries and museums and made it available to anyone who can access the internet. An example of Internet art being the website known as, ‘We feel fine”[3], which was created in 2005 by Jonathan Harris and Sep Kamvar and went live in 2006.[4] The website searches the internet every ten minutes, displaying its findings from say, blogs and social networking sites, in an appealing visual representation. These expressions of human emotion are only able to be represented because of the use of data visualization. The aboutness of this artwork is that it records sentences from around the world on how people are feeling, thus creating a database of over several million feelings throughout the entire world. The viewer can even search feelings to find out answers to various questions such as, which country is sad more than happy and how the weather effects certain emotions.

We feel fine is built on an interface that uses a self-organizing particle system. Each particle being one person’s emotion. As one can imagine there are thousands of particles that move around the screen that you can interact with by clicking on it. The colour, shape and size tells a story about the emotion and the person and represents the nature of the feeling. Once clicked the particle reveals either a photo or the full sentence of the feeling.[5] We feel fine is an artwork created by the entire world. It allows us to connect with others and adds a bit of understanding to our everyday lives. The website is a good example of internet art because of this interaction and internet use.

My next art movement’s name was coined by Allan Kaprow. He was passionate about exposing the performative capabilities of art and so in 1959 he presented the art piece entitled, “18 Happenings in 6 Parts,”[6] at the Ruben gallery in New York, and he chose the word, ‘happening’ to suggest, ‘something spontaneous, something that just happens to happen’,[7] and so the term was created. Happenings today can refer to any kind of performance art from the latest trend of Flashmobs to performance type pieces at galleries. They can occur anywhere and rely on the active participation of the audience.

For instance, Kaprow’s piece, “18 Happenings in 6 parts,” consisted of a space divided into three rooms with clear plastic walls[8]. The viewers played a role in the artwork as they had tickets that directed them to specific seats in each room. They could only enter to take their seats at specific times and once seated they witnessed events such as a girl squeezing oranges, an artist lighting matches and painting and an orchestra of toy instruments. It was very well thought out with a script that might have been stricter than any theatre at the time and yet it was effortless and created an atmosphere of spontaneity more than anything else. This of course was due to the fact that it was a performance that had none of the rules and regulations of theatre work and because of its influence of a seemingly unstructured performance it is a good example of what the happenings art movement is.

Which brings me to the video art movement which relied on TV and Radio as its fundamental means. The uses of which can take many forms, such as, recordings that are broadcasted or viewed in galleries or distributed on tapes and discs. However, the movement is not limited to recordings, it can include sculptural installations that incorporate one or more TV receivers or monitors that display live or recorded images. Nam June Paik was the first to experiment with broadcast pictures and distorted magnets in 1959.[9] What followed was his acquirement of recording equipment which lead to his production of tapes, performances and multi monitor installations one of which being, “Highway.”

Paik might have been seen as one of the most important people in regards to the start of video art but Bill Viola mastered the movement with the advances in video production and his creation of the installation known as, “Stations”.[10] Stations was created in 1994 and is a five-channel colour and sound video. Five projection screens rest on five granite slabs and each projection displays a nude figure suspended in water. The five figures who appear to float like ethereal beings are accompanied by a placid soundtrack of bubbling sounds and underwater murmurs. It gives the impression that one is being transported underwater to watch the five sleeping forms. The figures float upside down and appear to drift out of their frames very slowly. The granite slabs which are polished as to give a reflection allow the artwork the appearance of the figures swimming in pools of black liquid. [11]

To me this piece gives the impression of a circular existence. There is no beginning and no end. It as if the figures are suspended in time, in a constant meditation, pondering the meanings of life, death and rebirth and perhaps in a sense they reflect on birth like a child suspended in animation waiting for its life to begin. It begs one to ask the old age question of what happens once we die and “Stations”, answers by hinting that we might return to our beginning forms suspended in time. Thus, this is a philosophical piece, full of divine questions that allows the viewer the freedom to ponder the meaning of life. It is Violas mix of philosophy, sound and video that makes this art piece a good example of video art.

Digital art is any art that can be made with the help of a computer. Majority of the time this means that hand drawings are scanned and changed via various digital programs and it applies to photographs as well as 3D created images. Boris Vallejo and his model wife, Julie Bell, have been in the digital art industry since 1964.[12]

He is mostly exclusive to fantasy and erotic art but he has done some amazing work on marvel characters too. His wife is usually the model for any womanly figures and his male characters are modelled by himself. One of his most famous artworks is the superhero Storm form The X Men. From this artwork one can immediately see his mastery of oil painting which is what he uses to paint his sketches before digitally altering them. He style is so classic it pays homage to the old masters of France and Italy. There is a combination of strength and sensuality in this piece that makes it above average. The human form holds incredible power and motion which one can definitely see when studying Storm’s ligaments and muscles. [13] For this reason Storm is a perfect example of how one can be an excellent artist while allowing digital media to improve on the original creation.

Nano art is one the latest art movements to come into existence and one, along with Bio art which I find incredibly interesting. This art discipline includes art, science and technology to create mind blowing works that would make our ancestors think we had evolved into gods. And perhaps with technology and Nano engineering that is what artists like Cris Orfescu are hoping to be by manipulating cells into the form of pictures. Nano art features nano landscapes which are the natural structures of molecular and atomic scales.[14]

Nano sculptures on the other hand are matter that has been manipulated with chemical and physical processes to create a new form. Cris Orfescu wanted to promote nano art as a worldwide reflection of the technological movement and so he founded it. He believed that nano art could effectively interest the public while introducing them to new technologies at the same time. He wanted to show the public how nano engineering could impact our lives.[15] One of his artworks known as, “The Hole” was created in 1994 and can now be bought as a picture or 19x13 inch print. Like Pop Art this technique can be sold at large to the public. It is a photograph of vitreous reticulated carbon foam ligaments and micropore[16] which to my mind looks quite similar to a colonoscopy scan with an added invert filter, however it is not and it is clearly very interesting which makes it a good example to use when discussing nano art.

Like nano art, Bio art is an art movement that uses science in order to create pieces. It is a movement which uses biotechnology such as genetic engineering, tissue culture and cloning to manipulate live tissues, bacteria and living organisms. One would assume that work like this would be limited to a laboratory when in actual fact it can be done in galleries as well as artists’ studios too. Eduardo Kac coined the phrase in 1997 when he created the work entitled, “time capsule”, although the actual movement originated at the end of the 20^th century through Joe Davis.  Most often Bio Art is intended to be shocking or humorous and while the authors of the artworks can be seen as artists they are most often classified as scientists because of the skill set required for such a work[17]. 

In 2000 Eduardo Kac commissioned the creation of a transgenic GFP bunny as part of a piece called GFP Bunny. The bunny was called Alba and she had been genetically engineered to appear fluorescent. She was the beginning and influence of a piece called, “The Eight Day”, which one can already assume by the name, is a take on God’s creation of the world in seven days. In this regard Kac is referring to himself as god and on the 8^th day he created fluorescent animals and changed a living organism biochemistry or makeup. The Eight day investigates his creation of fluorescent creatures that have been created in the isolation of laboratories. His point is that when one puts them together they can be seen as the nucleus of a new and emerging synthetic bioluminescent system. The piece that was presented at a gallery in Arizona brought together all the living transgenic life forms and a biological robot in an environment enclosed under a clear 4 foot diameter Plexiglas dome.[18]

It allowed the viewer to study how these creatures would naturally coexist with one another if they were freed into the world. It was a self-contained artificial ecological system. The creatures were all cloned using the GFP gene which made them appear green to the naked eye[19]. The creatures included mice, plants, amoebae and fish which of course gained the attention of people who believe it be unethical especially to animal rights activists. Despite this the eight day and Alba are fantastic creations that display how we as humans have evolved and because of this and the use of bioengineering it is an excellent example of bio art.

My final art movement is called Interactive art where these installations allow the viewer to interact with the actual art work, whether it is just by walking in, on or around the piece or if they actually become a part of what makes it interactive art. This is a large development in the art world as previously viewers of art could not and still cannot touch, photograph or get too close to important artworks while interactive art encourages the viewer to interact and to become a part of the artistic process. Frequent features include computers and motion, heat sensors. A leading figure in such a movement is Jeffery Shaw and his work entitled, “The legible city”[20].

The piece in question consists of an immovable bicycle, a touch pad and a large screen in front of the bike. The purpose is for the viewer to seat themselves on the bike and ‘move’ through the streets projected in front of them.  However, the streets are anything but ordinary. Unlike realistic streets that are often lined with trees these are lined with letters so that the cyclist can choose their own narrative and learn the history of the city by reading the sides of the street as they venture through it. A small screen attached to the handle bars allows the viewer to plot their position which included three versions: Manhattan, Amsterdam and Karlsruhe[21]. Considering that this artwork is believed to be one of the first of its kind as well as interactive art it is a good representation of the movement.

Therefore, I have interpreted each movement by using an example of an artwork to clarify how they differ and how they are similar in the fact that they needed technology to begin and grow.

ARH1501 Essay UNISA

11:53

(Nicolas Hlobo, Izithunzi (2009). Rubber inner tube, ribbon, organza, lace, found objects, steel, couch, variable dimensions. Monument Gallery, Grahamstown.)

South Africa is heavily weighed down with issues most of which are overshadowed and ignored, while others, such as race and racial bias, are constantly and almost obsessively prioritized because of our history with Apartheid. Zanele Maholi and Nicholas Hlobo are two artists who are notorious for their works in broadening perspectives on concerns that are often overlooked by society, such as gender inequity and homosexual discrimination. In this essay I explore how their artworks: Izithunzi (Fig. 2), Miss D’vine II (Fig. 3), Stanley Mabena 11 (Fig. 4) and Nando Maphisa and Mpho Sibiya, Sasolburg (Fig. 5), define gender in the post Apartheid South Africa.

Western society has long battled the stereotype that women are inferior to men and despite advances in western feminism gender bias is still a major issue in African and Middle Eastern cultures. Together, Hlobo and Maholi have a broad collection of artworks that explores and exposes how black men and women are repressed by their culture because of their gender and sexuality. This occurring in spite of the fact that the South African constitution does not condone gender or homosexual discrimination. In fact the South African constitution embraces every citizen no matter their race, gender or sexual orientation. Each individual has equal human rights, and yet there are still those that defy the constitution by resorting to hate crimes and corrective rape to such an extent that when reported to the police these injustices are not taken seriously. Because of this it is dangerous to publicly admit to being homosexual or transgender in a post-apartheid South Africa.

When looking at Nicholas Hlobo’s installation entitled , Izithunzi (Fig. 2), the work at first appears to be completely arbitrary, but it is essentially swimming in symbolism. Izithunzi is one of two installations that complete the piece known as Umtshotso which refers to the rituals of entering adulthood in Xhosa culture (Gevisser 2009: 2).  It portrays the exploration that comes with age and the consequences that come with wanting to be mature before your time. Izithunzi (Fig. 2) is made up of eight figures scattered across a dark room with an ominous red glow cast over the group. Izithunzi means shadows (Gevisser 2009: 3), which in itself is awash with meaning. The shadows of leaving our innocence behind, the shadows we hide behind when society does not accept us for who we are and the shadowy thoughts that come with adolescence, especially those dealing with the issues of discovering a different sexual identity to what we have been brought up with.

The figures seem to resemble a Halloween party with their jellyfish, pumpkin and ghost like shapes.  The idea that the figures are gathered for a party draws to the original idea of the traditional Xhosa party undertaken before adulthood. The costumes however, ignite a deeper meaning and a comment on Hlobo’s own sexuality. With the idea in mind that being openly homosexual in a post-Apartheid South Africa is dangerous the result is that many hide their sexuality behind a costume, pretending to be something they are not and often dealing with the idea that society presses on them - that they are unnatural, that they are freaks. While those that oppress them are in actual fact the freaks and the monsters of society. Each figure is constructed of materials rife with meaning. The rubber inner tubing symbolises the hardened texture of masculinity as it can refer to a condom and is quite a tough textile. A direct contrast to the rubber is found in the use of delicate feminine details such as, lace, organza and ribbon. These textiles connect each figure, thus representing the unification of masculine and feminine whether through intercourse or homosexuality an ambiguity is created that challenges assumptions on gender stereotypes (Gevisser 2009:2).

The aboutness of my chosen three photographs taken by Muholi is similar in context Izithunzi. Miss D’Vine II (Fig.3) is a photograph of a man dressed in feminine attire. The subject matter and the photo itself is not as serious as her other works but it is effective in highlighting the bridge between masculine and feminine.  In her photograph entitled Nando Maphisa and Mpho Sibiya, Sasolburg(Fig. 5), their clothing has been thoughtfully chosen as it is the uniform of a sangoma, which is an ambiguous position in her culture. With MissD’Vine II (Fig 3), the gay male in women’s dress associates with drag, transgender and role-play. It can however be argued that she is imitating a preconscious stereotype with the picture while the red shoes remind me of Dorothy from the wizard of oz and her ruby slippers that aided her in defeating the wicked witch. Is that not the outcome the activist in Muholi desires? To defeat the wicked who abuse and mock a person because of their gender or sexuality?

Her reference to gender ambiguity continues in her work entitled Stanley Mabena 11 (Fig. 4). While he has a male name his breasts are bigger than a man’s should be while smaller than the average females, his face is feminine but he appears to have recently shaved too. As he leans more to the female side despite the fact that he is male it creates the appearance of vulnerability. In many of Muholi’s works masculinity resembles the harshness of life while the feminine is portrayed as defenceless. Looking again at Nando Maphisa and Mpho Sibiya, Sasolburg (Fig. 5), she has photographed a same-sex couple who are dressed as sangoma’s which links to how the position is one free from gender bias and yet, they are declaring themselves lesbian too, which despite this occupation goes against their culture and is recognized as taboo.

Hlobo and Muholi collect the emotions and problems that South Africans face on daily basis in their art. They archive them in a collection that can be viewed by the world as if saying, you wanted to hide it, but this is the truth. This is what is happening! Let’s do something about it. They collect evidence and histories, each photo is a story, and each artwork is figurative slap in the face to a nation that needs to wake up. While seemingly arbitrary at first, they are in fact memories of trauma and, invested with meaning. An objection to those who condone discrimination of any kind and a plea to our government. Clearly the artworks discussed proclaim that we still fight an apartheid in a post apartheid South Africa, one of gender discrimination. Proving that we are not as equal in this new order as we had hoped. 

ARH1501 Essay UNISA

21:29

(Jane Alexander, The Butcher Boys, 1985/86.)

Three figures sit beside each other on a bench. Their ash white skin, black eyes and almost featureless faces overpower the viewer with an ethereal overtone. This artwork is considered to be one of the most seminal protest pieces of the anti-Apartheid era, and while the artist Jane Alexander was not active in the resistance movement and the three grotesquely haunting figures have no mouths to convey their significance, the work screams of its political influence. 

When one considers the socio-political standing of South Africa at the time The Butcher Boys (Fig.1) was created, unravelling the meaning behind their deformities is clear. This is an artwork that embodies the emotional conflicts and extreme violence experienced by a country oppressed by racial discrimination. Many question who these bestial creatures represent. Is it the perpetrators of Apartheid? Or the victims?

In this essay I will discuss why I believe the three main figures in Jane Alexander’s, The Butcher Boys (Fig.1) can be depicted as the perpetrators of Apartheid rather than the victims.

At first glance the three beasts sitting beside each other invoke a sense of fear and repulsion inside of me.  It is because of this first impression that I believe them to represent the perpetrators of the Apartheid movement, as it is not often that one feels repulsed by a victim.

Brutality is a word we seldom use in conjunction with human behaviour and when this word is used it is not done so lightly. Brutality enforces how astounded we as human beings are that we could treat our own race like nothing more than animals. The Butcher Boys (Fig. 1) achieves the definition of brutality. It is a silent protest, an uncomfortable and blatant accusation to those who supported the movement. The way in which Jane Alexander positions the figures, the texture of their flesh and the symbolic details incorporated into their making all have a role to play in the impression they give off. The artwork sits on a figurative praecipe, balancing between intoxicating, nauseating, subtle and bold.

Disturbingly realistic due to the fact they were created with body casts, the figures are seated beside each other on a plain bench. They look thoughtful and serious and nothing like cowering or defeated victims. In fact with their slouched postures they can almost be depicted as uncaring, oblivious to the goings on around them. One of the three sits apart from the others, leaning forward, as if ready to lunge at someone. To me this is much like the government at the time. Uncaring and seemingly comfortable with the situation they have instigated while ready to attack those who oppose them at a moment’s notice.  However, to others the positioning of the slouched and uncaring postures could represent defeat. As victims they have given up the fight.

With their genitalia covered one could assume that they are genderless, for it might have been a male dominant government but that did not leave the women behind them blameless. Both genders could be found guilty of supporting and igniting what was the Apartheid regime. They cannot communicate with speech or facial expressions due to the fact that they have no mouths, noses or ears. They seem lost in thought and even if they could respond to any questions thrown at them, I believe they would remain silent and judgemental. Despite this many people believe that they are anguished, wounded and dehumanized. Whereas I agree that they have been dehumanized and wounded, (this much is apparent when you notice the gaping wounds running over their spines and the broken horns protruding out of their skulls,) but I disagree that they are anguished. Their blackened eyes hold no compassion, no pain or pleading instead they are cold and frightening, much like I imagine it would be staring into the daunting pit of hell.

Clearly the sanctity of their bodies has been corrupted and is now incomplete. They are devoid of all senses with ears that are nothing more than deep gorges in the sides of their skulls while their mouths are covered by thick patches of calloused skin. Their senses have been removed along with everything that makes them human, for now they appear to be nothing more than animals. In this regard I see the victimisation of apartheid. For did the movement not dehumanize an entire nation by taking away their human rights? Likewise, can this depiction not be used for the opposite effect? Did they not become beasts themselves for their cruelty? The dehumanized flaws the three figures share could represent the oppressors too. Reminding us that humanity is a thin veil that can easily be broken to expose the animal beneath. With no mouths there is no individual thought, as each oppressor shared one common opinion. With no ears they were deaf to the cries of the anguished, and with blackened eyes they remained blind to the true nature of their rule.

On one hand the combination of human form and animal parts signifies how the perpetrators stripped themselves of everything that made them human, to brutally control and alienate others whom they considered to be below them and their race. In doing this they removed their humanity and in this way Alexander conveys that only animals or beasts would treat each other as they did. Only these creatures are unjustly cruel. Through this meaning it becomes clear that perhaps the human race is the very worst beast of them all, as Apartheid was of course not the only example of human bestiality. The government was influenced and guided by History. On the other hand, the dehumanising of the figures could portray a contradictory meaning in that the victims were treated like nothing more than cattle that needed to be controlled or culled. With the violation of their rights they became subservient beasts that were denied a personal identity.

Yet I still disagree that The Butcher Boys (Fig.1) is a representation of the victims of apartheid. With no ears or mouths and blackened eyes these three creatures could in actuality be referring to the proverbial principle of the three wise monkeys - speak no evil, hear no evil and see no evil. This means feigning ignorance to the evil around you and turning a blind eye towards it, and is that not what the Apartheid government did? They knew what they were doing was wrong but they were blinded by their fear and hatred of the people they oppressed. With those black, uncompassionate eyes I can believe it to be true. It is said that a person’s eyes are the mirrors to their soul. If they are indeed the mirrors to their souls they either have none or it has turned black with their arrogance and crimes against humanity. A mirror that is linked to every oppressor in history and the human beast they created through their violence. These pupil-less and Iris-less eyes are once again displaying a linked mind, a common viewpoint. When I examine those blackened eyes I am immediately reminded of the various depictions of demon possession, and yet, if I turn and study them from different angles I can almost see the soft expressionless eyes of the victims.

Nevertheless the ultimate argument we are left with is the horns. The symbolism behind horns is vast and often uncontradicted in the fact they almost always represent evil. The Christian perception is that horns represent the devil. The devil has horns, is something that the media, literature and art has reiterated to us in various forms throughout history. Perhaps we have been brainwashed by this constant and ever present symbolism and rather than coming up with our own perception we accept that horns are evil. Therefore they are the perfect representations of Apartheid and the ruling government. They are thus significant in bringing hell to South Africa for the devil feels no compassion.

From their indifferent, pitiless postures to their blackened, uncompassionate eyes it is evident that the three of them share a linked mind and a common viewpoint. With their symbolically evil horns and the overwhelming fear they exhume, what better example could be used to represent the perpetrators of Apartheid. The Butcher Boys (Fig.1) illustrate a nation whose leaders lead them astray, whose policies terrified a society to the point where the beast within was revealed and at the same time revealing our potential for brutality.  Not only is it a silent protest but the artwork serves to convey one very important message too, without compassion and the lessons taught by history we are nothing more than beasts wearing human skin.  Therefore this is why I believe that the three grotesque figures that make up the artwork entitled The Butcher Boys (Fig.1), represent the perpetrators of Apartheid. 

ARH1501 Essay UNISA

15:16