Notes

Cattle, serving as symbols of wealth, and variously as means of exchange, pack animals, and transportation, remain central to the economy of this country. They also retain great status and embody significant cultural values for many South African groups. In this stylised work painted in 1958, the same year in which Goldblatt was included on the Venice Biennale, dusk is settling over the landscape as young Afrikander steers gather together.

The broad sweeping horizontals of the landscape create an impression of tranquillity while a rich palette of burgundies and browns in the cattle hides and the denim and umber tones of the landscape enhance the sense of harmony and well-being. Goldblatt has employed a range of painterly techniques to suggest the South African veld – impasto, layered scumbling, varied brushstrokes and thin glazes over textured paint – while sgraffito, probably using a brush handle to scratch into thick paint, evokes stubbly grass in the foreground.