The interface of image and text. Breytenbach's Durban exhibition Portraits, Prints and Paper

Abstract

At the occasion of Breyten Breytenbach’s exhibition entitled Portraits, Prints and Paper at the Durban Art Gallery from 3 – 25 May 1998, I was asked to conduct a walkabout attended by art critics, lecturers and students as well as members from the general public. This encounter generated very specific questions around the exhibition, which I tried to address from the vantage point of my particular field of interest, namely the interface of art and literature. It was generally agreed that the works on show – many of which explicitly integrate image and text – invite analysis of the way Breytenbach's work as painter-poet exploits the relation between visual art and language. Using this particular perspective, and guided by the three elements which constitute the exhibition title – Portraits, Prints and Paper – I here offer a brief overview of the main issues raised by the exhibition.