Cape Street Scene 1970

This is Gregoire Boonzaier's 'Cape Street Scene', which seems to be made with ink and watercolour. Looking at it, I imagine Boonzaier standing right in the middle of the street, squinting in the sun, trying to capture the buzz of daily life. I love how the buildings are not perfectly square, but lean a little, as if they are alive. Did he use a very fine brush to get those inky lines? There's a looseness here that feels so human. The colours are muted, almost like a memory. Then, BAM, little pops of blue and red peek out from the awnings and the sky. It's like Boonzaier is whispering, "Hey, look at this place. It's not perfect, but it’s real." It reminds me of some of the early 20th-century European painters who were trying to capture modern life. This reminds us that painting is an ongoing conversation, and artists are always building on what came before.