Join the meeting now

Meeting ID: 393 469 686 499

Passcode: fW9mc73Q

Since 1980, Rick Solomon has been recording and documenting Bushman rock paintings from the South-Western Cape, namely in the Sandveld, the Northern Cederberg, the Olifants River area, several ‘outlier’ sites from the Olifantsrivierberge and sites from the Cold Bokkeveld. Rick’s talk will focus on ideas that he has developed, including his belief that there is a strong ‘narrative’ element to the art. Rick feels that the art may have served a variety of purposes, but that ‘story-telling’ may well have been an important element. He has also concluded that the Bushman artists were acute observers of the world around them and that they faithfully recorded things they observed and which they considered significant. He has also noted that they were also acute observers of the ‘human experience’ in all its variety. He has also observed that many images were ‘of the imagination’, while others were likely linked to Bushman ‘belief systems’. Rick has compared the varying focus of images found at different sites, observing that there are recurring themes, but also noting that most sites have their own unique combination of images. He has also noted that there may be something significant about the choice of different localities where the Bushman chose to paint their images or leave handprints. He has also noted that many paintings remain unexplained. Rick has drawn attention to details in the paintings that he has found interesting, using photographic recording, tracing or DStretch software.

Bio:

 

Rick Solomon grew up in Cape Town. He Matriculated from Cape Town High School in 1975. In 1977, after a recommendation from his Art teacher, he applied to study Art and Design in the UK. He was accepted onto an Art Foundation course at the Hornsey College of Art in north London (now Middlesex University). He then completed a BA (Hons) Degree in Graphic Design and Scientific Illustration at Middlesex Polytechnic. After graduating, he married Josephine Botham in the UK. He worked as an illustrator and graphic designer in London, before moving to live and work in North Wales, where their daughter Becky was born in 1987. Later they moved to Lincolnshire, where their son Josh was born in 1990. While in Lincolnshire Rick began teaching desktop-publishing in Adult Education and at Further Education Colleges (the 16 -19 years Curriculum). At the same time, he continued working as a freelance Graphic Designer, but later became employed as a full-time Lecturer in Art and Design. Rick is now retired from teaching and pursues his interests in art, rock art recording, family history and helping look after his grandchildren, who he adores but says “they can be a handful”. He returns to visit South Africa when he can and revisits many of the rock art sites he first visited in the 1980’s and 1990’s. His last trip to SA was in 2022. He hopes to make a trip to SA later this year.