KNYSNA NEWS - Jan Raats’ poignant exhibition of oil paintings, Portraits of the Homeless, was opened by Ricardo van Lingen on Thursday, August 3 at Avopomme, Woodmill Lane.
It’s easier and far more comfortable to turn a blind eye to the homeless. We’ve learnt to diminish these wanderers who survive on the fringe of society to objects in order to block out our guilt. But Raats employs both his humanitarian vision and aesthetic talent to persuade us to consciously "look" and acknowledge that "the homeless" are people like you and me and each person has his or her unique story.
There’s the traditional herbalist who migrates between his taxi rank sidewalk shop and the untamed Knysna forest. There’s the preacher, who was once in the navy, meandering along the coast. There’s the guitar player, who must surely be crazy, incoherently strumming odd tunes of what could once have been township jazz.
Raats is well known for painting with his hands. He smears, dabs and scratches. The jarring angles and intense turquoise of one painting speak of the erratic mind of the guitarist but in another painting, out of the flowing curves and calm greens emerges the inner peace of the preacher. These paintings are not only striking at first glance but also linger long after. They are so much more than "pretty pictures".
Initially trained at the Johannesburg College of Art, Raats also holds a PhD in business strategy with an MBA and a BSc in electrical engineering. He has exhibited nationally and internationally and achieved numerous noteworthy awards. His gallery Jandreart is located at Thesen Harbour Town, Knysna.
The exhibition will run for the full month of August. – Sandy Bekker
* Info: Avopomme 044-381-1575. To view additional work by Raats, visit www.janraats.com.
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