Song of the Pick

Song of the Pick is an example of Sekoto’s early mix of the REALISTIC or FIGURATIVE mode and the more EMOTIVE or EXPRESSIONISTIC. The scene depicted cuts to the heart of colonial and apartheid control of South African society. The rhythmic, symmetrical and powerful line of the black work gang is set against the lone white ‘BAAS’ in his khaki suit.

Sekoto’s mastery of line and colour is evident in the implied movement of the workers – which emphasises their collective power – and in the bright colours of their headgear and pants against the vibrantly coloured earth they are about to strike. But the work does not simply reflect an ordinary social reality of labour and inequality. One can read it as a political allegory too. The white foreman, whose suit blends with the drab earth on which he stands, is a noticeably less powerful physical presence in the picture plane, almost edged out entirely by the work gang, which looms over him.

Artwork courtesy of South 32 Collection.