Visual Century Volume One: 1907-1948: South African Art In Context

Volume 1 of Visual Century: South African Art in Context 1907-1948 is part of a four-volume publication that reappraises South African visual art of the twentieth century from a postapartheid perspective. Volume 1 begins after the South African War when efforts were made to unify the white 'races'. It ends with the coming to power of the Afrikaner nationalists. The period encompasses two world wars, the incremental dispossession of the rights of black South Africans, and the rise of organised black South African resistance to white rule. Jillian Carman, the editor of this volume, notes that art is not created in a vacuum. In her introductory essay titled 'Other Ways of Seeing' she notes that this volume sets the overall approach: "an interpretation of the history of twentieth century visual art in South Africa against the backdrop of momentous social and political events". This volume provides critical perspectives on the ideological and institutional frameworks for white and black art