The Sunday News
Thobekisiwe Gumede
BULAWAYO-based veteran water colourist Kaufman Ndlovu has painted steam locomotives which he will donate to the city council as a way of celebrating the city’s 120 years of existence.
The multi-award winning colourist said he had painted the steam engines not only to celebrate the city’s existence but to remind people of their history.
“It’s something of the past that people have to be kept reminded of. I have always been interested in the history of our country especially our city. So, as the city celebrates its 120 years of existence I thought it was important that I paint something that will be of significance to its history,” he said.
Ndlovu mentioned that history needed to be preserved in various forms so that future generations would have something to learn from.
“It’s not enough to have these steam engines stationed at the National Railway of Zimbabwe (NRZ) museum because a few people visit the place. If one went to England for instance they would find out that the history of that place has been put down into art specifically painting. By merely getting into their museums one is able to learn of their past experiences and developments. I feel like this is exactly what artistes or painters all over the country should be doing. We should make an effort to ensure that our history is put down in painting because as artistes we have a mandate to educate and inform people,” he added.
The steam locomotives are one of the things that the veteran painter has been focusing on after having taken a sabbatical in the art industry for a long time.
“I have not been painting for almost five years now because I was furthering my studies so this is one of the first things that I was focusing on and I am happy to be donating the paintings to the city council,” said Ndlovu.
Born on 3 March 1958 in Matobo district, Ndlovu is one person who has dedicated his entire art career to the practice of realistic art. In 1976 he joined the Mzilikazi Arts and Craft Centre where he studied fine art. He later moved to Bulawayo School of Art.
Ndlovu who has taught art at a number of schools in the city is planning to collect his previous art work for a solo exhibition.
The city celebrated its 120 years of existence in June to mark its founding in 1894.
