A boundless energy to creative expression

In the exhibition, Toward Spontaneity, the artist works against common expectations and predictability to show that everything is possible for him on canvas

Kampala, Uganda | DOMINIC MUWANGUZI | I am naturally impressed when an artist can surprise with their work. It is a sign of being unpredictable and naturally curious as a creative. This is what Stephen Gwoktcho is and reveals in his solo show, Toward Spontaneity, at Weganda Gallery. Here, he showcases paintings that are a shift from his norm of wildlife paintings. In fact, Gwoktcho is widely known as a wildlife artist in many art circles having produced an expanse body of work in the past two decades that explore this theme. His charcoal and oil drawings of wild beasts, and sometimes primates, dot several lodges in Uganda’s national parks. But not many know about his exceptional talent in anatomy drawing, a discipline he has taught at Margaret Trowell School of Industrial and Fine art, Makerere for nearly 30 years.

In this show, where he presents more than half a dozen works traversing figurative, semi-abstract and realistic expressionisms, the artist illustrates his versatility on canvas while asserting his status as a master of his craft. His frequent depiction of figures sitting against a backdrop of a warm and calm palette symbolizes an atmosphere of calmness and natural character that permeates through his work. There’s also a particular freedom in his paintings, especially those with the human figures that insinuate his spontaneity. These paintings are loaded with untamed energy and emotions that instantly grip the viewers’ attention.

In Woman on Round Stool, the artist paints a middle-aged woman with a well-endowed body depicted by her ample bosom that is peeping through a teasing lace slip-on and a short dress. The sight of her left hand covering her protruding breasts in a provocative pose and the depiction of her plump thighs flashing under controlled light immediately inspire a sensual feeling in the viewer and may set one on a long journey of wild imaginations. Yet in all its provocation, this semi-nude painting is devoid of overt sexualization that can have the artist and their painting be labelled as vulgar. But it is the artist’s ability to capture the emotions in the subject, perhaps evocative of that time of the evening when a woman has retreated to her bedroom, and in that privacy she is at her most disarming with her beautiful body, that epitomises this painting as a masterpiece.

This breathtaking mood is also captured in Model in Studio, which has a woman of the same age as the former, seated cross-legged on a wooden stool, wearing a tease dress that exposes her fairly toned body. She is holding a book inscribed on “ANATOMY” and in her background is a painting leaning on the wall with a composition of a female model in the nude posing for an anatomy drawing class. This painting is obviously inspired by the artist’s experience of anatomy drawing as a fundamental discipline in art learning. Though in the present day, such classes are conducted without the female semi-nude models because of the conservative nature of art teaching at tertiary institutions, Gwoktcho’s bold choice to explore this subject in this painting illustrates his open-mindedness as an artist, which often is triggered by the encounter of such a discipline of fine art. By nature, anatomy drawing is a very challenging discipline that requires total observational and drawing skills, which can only be realised if the artist is willing to step outside their comfort zone. Gwoktcho’s exceptional talent in drawing and observational skills cannot be second-guessed here, and it is no surprise that he participated in the much-feted exhibition Seniority First 2019, that showed works of five Ugandan masters.

The artists’ technical dexterity extends to two paintings: Wildebeest and Wildebeest in Flight. The two paintings executed in abstract expressionism style bear the creative energy that is visible in the other works in the exhibition. In the two compositions the artist captures the beast, a buffalo, presumably fleeing for its dear life as expressed by the intensity of its movement that signals a moment of urgency. This series captivates the viewer’s gaze because of the loaded ambiguity and suspense that seats seamlessly beside the warm palette it is washed in. This aura can also be seen in the realistic drawings of Cheetah Evening Hunt and Cheetah Sprint that not only capture the wild cat in its majesty as a notorious predator but also its body language that is synonymous with predatory animals: their agility, attentiveness and fearless instinct is delicately communicated in these drawings.

In this exhibition Gwoktcho reaffirms his mastery on canvas, and now that he has retired from his teaching duties at the university, he obviously has freedom to explore as much as possible with his creative mind, as illustrated in this eclectic body of work. As such, we’re tempted to guess that there’s more to come from this artist’s studio in the coming months, as now he is moving toward spontaneity.

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The exhibition is showing at Weganda Gallery, located on plot 20 Binayomba Rise, Luthuli Avenue, Bugolobi, Behind Royal Suites, Kampala. Images are courtesy of Weganda Galery.

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