Strauss & co - 11 November 2019, Johannesburg

32 The proverb ‘a wounded animal is a dangerous animal’cannot be reduced to a simplistic reading of the philosophical question of whether the saying emanates from an ancient African proverb or a western scientific hypothesis. In the reference to the African proverb it evokes a certain sense of desperation and suspense, a life and death situation – that the animal is about to unleash its rage – if only it could rise. From wildlife safaris to laboratory experiments, nature has often pushed back, and indeed unleashed its rage if provoked. Lucas Sithole’s Wounded Buffalo (1971) reflects the accepted reading or understanding of this proverb that has been proven, on numerous occasions. This work is thus not just a representation by one of South Africa’s most significant black modernist artists in command of the medium of sculpture, it is also on par with the work of western modernist artists of the time such as Henri Moore and Constantin Brâncuși – particularly in terms of a deep understanding of materiality and medium. In Wounded Buffalo Sithole deviates from his usual approach. There is a crudeness to its texture and rendering, different from his sometimes almost obsessively polished finish, that evokes Sithole’s concern with the social and economic circumstances of the working class, his people, black people. This work embodies Sithole’s sophisticated understanding of both context and the contextual use of materiality in being in tune with the issues of the time, be it labour or urbanisation. Dr Same Mdluli