The Battle of Cape Town - SOLD
Richard Mudariki (b 1985)
The Battle of Cape Town - 2012
Acrylic on canvas
120 x 165,5 cm
Signed and dated bottom right
Sold - 2013
This work is inspired by a panel from the triptych ‘The battle of San Romano’, painted by Paolo Uccello in the mid-1400s. The original painting portrayed part of the battle of San Romano that was fought between Florence and Siena in 1432. The central figure is Niccolò da Mauruzi da Tolentino on his white charger, the leader of the victorious Florentine forces. In my interpretation the battle scene is moved to Cape Town, a place with historically disproportionate development that has created societal groups who live together, but still apart. Politicians now fight their battles in the media and in cyberspace, and social media networks have become one of the new battlefields. The premier of the Western Cape, Helen Zille, who was accused of racism after some comments she posted on twitter, is portrayed here in combat with an anonymous black warrior. A variety of animals represent Cape Town’s various cultures, all participating in the clash for equality.