Visionary Artists, Parallel Lives -Gladys Mgudlandlu

25 Gladys Mgudlandlu Cattle on a Hillside gouache on paper 27 by 39 cm private collection Mgudlandlu’s vision was untainted by formalism. As Marc Glaser points out, ‘This is not the work of complete naivete. There is an intellectual feeling underlying a number of these paintings which the artist combines with the undulating rhythm of her paint and her strong feeling for pattern. There is further support for this viewpoint. According to art critic F.N. of the Evening Post : “A deliberately primitive and childlike treatment of human figures and animals, with complete disregard for conventional perspective, transform reality into the stuff dreams are made of.”’ Elza Miles (2002) Nomfanekiso Who Paints at Night: The Art of Gladys Mgudlandlu , Cape Town: Fernwood Press, page 36.