Description
Bongani
Fine Art Print on 230gsm Premium Poster Paper
17 × 24 cm image on an A4 sheet
R650
Bongani is the most symmetrical and most densely patterned portrait in the collection. The head is set square to the viewer on a white ground and covered from crown to chin in triangles, chevrons, diamonds and radiating lines, worked in what seems to be every colour on the palette at once. A beaded fringe hangs across the top of the head, wire hoops loop at either ear, and a wide multi-strand collar of round beads spreads out across the shoulders and falls away at both sides.
The frontal symmetry is what gives the picture its force. Because the head is presented straight on and the patterning is broadly mirrored from side to side, the face reads almost as a designed object — and yet the eyes, painted with clear whites and dark centres, remain steadily human and hold the viewer’s attention through all the surrounding activity. The colour is deliberately unsorted, oranges next to greens next to violets, held in check only by the white ground and the regularity of the drawing.
Printed at 17 × 24 cm on 230gsm premium poster paper, Bongani carries a great deal of detail for its size and repays close viewing. It makes a strong centre point for a grouped hang of the African Portraits collection.
Specifications
- Title: Bongani
- Artist: Julie Tugwell
- Type: Fine art print of an original artwork
- Paper: Premium poster stock, 230gsm
- Image size: 17 × 24 cm
- Sheet size: A4 — 21 × 29.7 cm
- Orientation: Portrait
- Supplied: Unframed
- Collection: African Portraits
- Availability: Available
Key Features
- Strict frontal symmetry on a white ground
- Head covered in triangles, chevrons and diamonds
- Wide multi-strand beaded collar and wire hoop earrings
- Printed on 230gsm premium poster stock
- Supplied unframed, ready to frame or mount
Ideal Setting
A strong focal piece for a hallway, study, dining room or gallery wall. The white ground and dense colour suit contemporary interiors, creative offices and boutique hospitality spaces, and it works as the centre of a grouped hang.
Style
Julie Tugwell is a contemporary South African artist whose work shares qualities with expressive, painterly traditions, favouring energetic brushwork and an emotional response to her subject over strict realism. In her portrait work she builds the face from bold, singing colour, letting warm and cool tones play against one another so that character and presence carry the picture rather than a literal likeness. The result is work that brings warmth, personality and considered sophistication to contemporary interiors.
At a Glance
- Artist: Julie Tugwell, contemporary South African artist
- Artwork: Bongani
- Format: Fine art print on 230gsm premium poster paper
- Print size: 17 × 24 cm image on an A4 sheet, portrait
- Subject: Symmetrical frontal portrait covered in geometric pattern with a beaded collar
- Style: Expressive, colour-led contemporary portraiture
- Palette: White ground with orange, green, violet, blue and crimson
- Collection: African Portraits by Julie Tugwell
- Ideal setting: A strong focal piece for a hallway, study, dining room or gallery wall
- Price: R650, supplied unframed
Please note: Images are provided as a guide to the artwork’s size and style. As each piece is photographed under different lighting conditions and viewed on different screens, colours may vary slightly from the printed artwork.
