School Alhadeff(Thango)

De school Alhadeff werd in 1950 opgericht door Maurice Alhafeff, een Belgisch zakenman in Kinshasa. Hij stelde materiall ter beschikking aan kunstenaars, zowel autodidacten als academici. Zij moesten voor een maandsalaris een vastgesteld aantal werken per maand afleveren. Hij liet de kunstenaars volkomen vrij, maar verschafte hen veel documentatie over de westerse beeldende kunst. ( o.a. Picasso).
De schilderijen in de collectie van Henny Weima zijn ongeveer 40 jaar oud , het is olieverf op hardboard geschilderd. Zij kocht het werk van Mazamba, nog een van de weinige in leven zijnde kunstenaars van deze groep. Een van de werken op hardboard was zelfs gebruikt als onderdeel van een dak in het huis van Mazamba.
De bekendste schilder van deze groep is Thango. Andere schilders zijn Zigoma, Koyongonda en Nzita.

Thango
Werk van Thango werd getoond in de tentoonstelling Africa now in 1992 in het Groninger Museum.
In de prachtige catalogus van deze tentoonstelling wordt het werk mooi getoond en besproken. Hieronder volgt de tekst.

François Thango
Born in Angola in about 1936. Died in 1981 (date uncertain). Lived in Brazzaville and Kinshasa (Zaire).

Thango began to paint when very young and was completely self-taught, outside all influence even though he frequented the studios of the Poto Poto school at Brazaville and the Alhadeff studios at Kinshasa. In contact with very many artists who were older and more ‘experienced’ than him, he remained of necessity very distant from the academic ambience. In the sixties and seventies, he developed a totally individual style, remarkable and unique in central Africa and even elsewhere. Very much on the fringe of his friends who frequented the same studios, he has imposed his own style, which has earned him from his friends the nickname of ‘African Picasso’, not because of any resemblance to the works of the ‘Master’ but because of his freedom. He was dazzling for his inventiveness.
There is no narrative in his giant painted strips. He is far more concerned with composition, colour and stylisation of the elements. His very large paintings, at the same time full and ungarrulous, seem like large frescos where animal, vegetable and human forms are combined and always outlined with black and coloured in a plain of pure, unshaded colours. There is no status of mind in these paintings but there emanates from them a strange freshness and gaiety. He seems to tackle the numerous problems of abstract painting, colour and format...with disconcerting ease. He died prematurely with no more than local recognition and many of his works have disappeared.

Klik opthumbnails voor grotere weergave van de werken.