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Where the Ocean Ends

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An exciting new exhibit by one of Port Elizabeth’s top artists goes on show at artEC from 18 April.

The latest work of 37-year-old Cedric Vanderlinden will be on display at 36 Bird Street from 18 April to 29 April 2011, with the opening being held on Sunday 17 April. His work will be displayed alongside works by well known fellow artist, Grant Bayman.

Vanderlinden’s art, which he has been honing for over sixteen years, is emotionally charged, drawing substantially from his life experiences and retold through a rich personal mythology.

Vanderlinden, who has exhibited locally and Internationally, has always been fascinated by drawing and painting, having been inspired by numerous trips to museums and galleries across Europe when he was growing up.

“I have always been deeply interested in the fine arts and I really feel that South Africa has the talent to produce art that is on par with what artists are producing overseas,” he said.

With over 20 professional exhibits behind him, Vanderlinden is recognised as one of Port Elizabeth’s finest artists. Having both studied and taught at the then Port Elizabeth Technikon, Vanderlinden draws on his vast knowledge of the subject, as well as his technical skill, to engage his viewers through his canvasses.

“I have tried to do something quite different with these latest works, in that I am returning to a more painterly approach, leaving the tracks and traces of my process on the canvass,” he said.

This latest exhibit strives to address both the concept of being left adrift at the mercy of the elements, as well as explore the Sublime in an increasingly automated society.

Cedric Vanderlinden's work - Munch is for the Birds

Vanderlinden talks about ‘Munch is for the birds’.

I recently received a trio of canvases that I want to turn into a triptych of ravens and crows feasting on flesh.

But, before I tackled it, I decided best to sketch and draw some birds so that I become familiar with their form and structure (after all, you can’t abstract something you don’t understand).

I decided, too, to focus on a bird head, specifically a crow. I really like the way it turned out: half-mad and half-menacing. It reminded me a little of Munch’s “The Scream’ (not that I would consider myself in the same league), and that’s where I came up with the title

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.