Notes

Stanley Pinker’s OH AHA is a multilayered work displaying all the wit, intelligence, humour and sensuality that has made his paintings so sought-after. The semantic word-play of the title conveys many meanings from ‘oh’ indicating surprise to ‘aha’ suggesting understanding, agreement or achievement. Following the discovery of ‘aha’ with the delight of ‘haha’ invokes both humour and the iconoclasm of the Dadaists.

The inclusion of lettering is reminiscent of the Cubist paintings of Picasso and Braque but these are not merely formal elements. ‘Made in Japan’ alludes to the concerns regarding foreign imports and the debates around mass-production versus authenticity. Rich in multiple art references, the envelope intersected with lines and circles pays homage to artists like Suprematist painter and theorist, Kazimir Malevich and Russian Constructivist, Alexander Rodchenko, who were instrumental in ‘pushing the envelope’ of painting to question perception and illusion.

The repetition of ‘oh’, ‘aha’ and ‘haha’ creates a progression of sounds culminating in a frisky couple who dance by the light of the moon, their jiving embodying the syncopated rhythms of jazz. The Union Castle liner steaming into the distance alludes to a time when hopeful immigrants were arriving every week from post-war Europe with all the optimism of a better life in the sun.

Areas of painterly application contrast with stencilled butterflies bringing the world of design into play. OH AHA brilliantly demonstrates Stanley Pinker’s sophisticated understanding of visual art, art history and of design as well as his consummate appreciation of the language of signs and of icons. Above an iconic Table Mountain a radiant sky heralds another memorable sunset over Cape Town.