Skip to main content
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 5

Chenjerai Chiripanyanga
'Proud Woman' original Shona stone sculpture by Chenjerai Chiripanyanga

2002

About the Item

'Proud Woman' is an original opal serpentine stone sculpture by the contemporary Zimbabwean artist Chenjerai Chiripanyanga. The artist presents in this sculpture a highly abstracted figure of a woman, her body gracefully lilting to the side as she gazes upward. Behind her head, her hair reaches backward like a waterfall, and ultimately helping to support the sculpture from the back. Though Chiripanyanga is trained in the Shona stone carving tradition, the languid figure ultimately reminds of such modern masters as Matisse and Picasso in its simple yet elegant curving lines and forms. opal (serpentine) 31.5 x 14 x 10 inches not signed, accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the artist Overall good condition with no signs of wear, chips or cracks. Chenjerai Chiripanyanga is a professional artist working in Harare. He is one of the few sculpture artists from Zimbabwe who not only works with serpentine stone but also with rusty iron, bicycle and car parts or wood in his sculptures. The subjects of Chenjerai's work are emotional, refreshing and sometimes political. His carvings often focus on musical instruments. According to Chenjerai, "Music is the heart of our art in Zimbabwe, either traditional music or modern music influences our feelings. This directs our hands when we create." He goes further to say, “Music is important to all cultures, it's like a common language between every culture. I wish people in power would really listen to the music more closely. Maybe then we could live in unity." Chenjerai's first exhibition was held in Europe in The Hague, Netherlands in 1993. While there he demonstrated his great talent as a sculptor as well as being a very fine painter. Chenjerai continues to participate in various local and international exhibitions and has won many prizes including the National Heritage Exhibition in 1992. His work has been sold to collectors all over the world. Shona artists and crafts people have been working in different media for generations. These include paintings, pottery, basket ware, wood carvings, and sculpture done in metal as well as the stone carvings. While there is not a long standing tradition of sculpture in what is now Zimbabwe (formerly Southern Rhodesia), stone carvings dating from the 15th century were seen in Great Zimbabwe, an excavated temple near Bulawayo. Most of the artifacts from this location have been moved to museums in Cape Town, South Africa or London. It is generally agreed that Zimbabwean stone sculpture as seen today began during the late colonial period of the 1950's and 1960's. During this period the artists and artisans depicted many of the traditional Shona and other tribal spiritual myths. Out of all the nations in Africa, the large varieties and abundant supplies of rock formations present throughout the Zimbabwe landscape provide artists with a medium for sculpture and carvings unique to their country. The Shona art sculpture of Zimbabwe combines the wonderful varieties presented by the stone with images drawn both from reality and abstract symbolism. Much of the stone used by Shona artists is quarried in areas which are adjacent or quite near the villages where the work is created. Often the land on which the stone is found is owned by the village or the local artists. The artists use stone such as Serpentine (somewhat old, having been formed about 2.6 billion years ago), with more than 200 color variations. The hardest and darkest of the Serpentine varieties is black, commonly known as Springstone or Africa stone. Less seen is Lepidolite, with its beautiful pale mauve coloration; and the very hard Verdite, found mostly in darker shades of green but with other variations as well. Commonly referred to as Rapoko stone in Zimbabwe, Steatite is a natural soft stone that falls under the general category of soapstone. Rapoko is found on every continent in the world with the possible exception of Antarctica. Its remarkable qualities have made this stone one of the most widely used minerals on earth. Over 10 million years old, Rapoko is a natural mineral, prized since ancient times for its durability, workability, beautiful character and ability to retain and radiate heat and resist chemicals. Native cultures, the world over, have carved Rapoko/Steatite into vessels, art objects, memorial and cultural items. Carved items have been found in the tombs of Pharaohs, in the igloos of the far north, in temples and palaces of China and India, in the mountains and river valleys of the Americas and the arid plains of Africa. There is a manmade ceramic product, also called Steatite, which uses the natural Rapoko stone as one of its raw materials but has no other connection to the skillful efforts of talented Shona and other African artists. The wonderful natural character of stone is used both in its rough cut and textured state, or heated and burnished to a high gloss to reveal rich greens, browns, blacks and grays. The hardness, shape, density and quantity used of serpentine, verdite, sandstone, granite, steatite and other stones define the ultimate presentation of completed Shona art sculptures and carvings.
  • Creator:
  • Creation Year:
    2002
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 31.5 in (80.01 cm)Width: 14 in (35.56 cm)Depth: 10 in (25.4 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Movement & Style:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
    Overall good condition with no signs of wear, chips or cracks.
  • Gallery Location:
    Milwaukee, WI
  • Reference Number:
    Seller: 11091g1stDibs: LU60537086432
More From This SellerView All
You May Also Like
  • Fat Gun
    By Vincent Du Bois
    Located in Miami, FL
    Coming from a family with a long artistic tradition. Vincent Du Bois accomplished to synthesize both classical background and comtemporary vision. From...
    Category

    2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

    Materials

    Marble

  • "Cleo" Contemporary, Ceramic, Mixed Media, Sculpture, Marble Base, Brass Rod
    By Lindsay Pichaske
    Located in St. Louis, MO
    Since graduating from the University of Colorado in 2010, Pichaske has risen to attention in the art world. She was an assistant to artist Cristina Cordova, and has been an Artist in...
    Category

    2010s Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

    Materials

    Marble, Brass

  • Dove Vado - hand carved figurative Carrara marble sculpture
    By Lorenzo Vignoli
    Located in San Francisco, CA
    striking hand carved Carrara marble sculpture by contemporary Italian sculptor Lorenzo Vignoli, incorporating classical references and contemporary Mediterranean influences DOVE VAD...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

    Materials

    Stone, Marble, Carrara Marble

  • Moment
    By Lilian R. Engel
    Located in New York, NY
    Marble
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Abstract Sculptures

    Materials

    Marble

  • Gallulus Bronze Sculpture Nude Boy Male Figure Green Patina Marble Stone
    By Wim van der Kant
    Located in Utrecht, NL
    Gallulus Bronze Sculpture Nude Boy Male Figure Green Patina Marble Stone Wim van der Kant (1949, Kampen) is a selftaught artist. Next to his busy profess...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Nude Sculptures

    Materials

    Marble, Bronze

  • Walled Off Hotel, Box Set
    By Banksy
    Located in Bristol, GB
    Print with unique painted concrete base hand-painted by local artists. Housed in a custom made white box frame as intended by the artist Open Edition Not signed or numbered New, as issued. Minor signs of wear on frame. Inconsequential yellowing of print only visible on reverse. This does not distract from the appeal of the print. Sold with the Walled Off Hotel...
    Category

    21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Figurative Sculptures

    Materials

    Concrete

Recently Viewed

View All