Item RSA-KIL1-332.jpg - RSA KIL1 332

Brief description of art: Panel A has a range of human figures in various postures. In one group, there are four figures with contorted and elongated bodies. Above this group is a line of dots. These dots are bigger than the so-called 'microdots' and yet smaller than usual finger dots. Microdots are very small (usually 1-2mm in diameter) of white paint made with a fine instrument while finger dots are bigger (approximately 1cm diameter). The dots under consideration seem to have been made by using an instrument rather than a finger.

Lower in the panel are four figures in dynamic running postures with their legs fully outstretched. More interestingly, their limbs are ornately embellished with white zigzag patterns- in one case, it is only a single line, but other two figures have double lines. To the right of the panel are two human figures with bellies outlined in white pigment. Nearby is another figure with pronounced 'arms-back' posture. Below the ledge on this section of the panel is a crude painting of a human figure in white pigment that seems to have been made by using the finger. As we show later this manner of painting is associated with a different art tradition. Zigzags

The KwaZulu-Natal Museums is a cultural and natural history museum renowned for its unique collections - there are eight natural history and around ten cultural history galleries that include an array of mammals (together with the last wild elephant in KwaZulu-Natal), birds, amphibians, insects, an extensive mollusc collection and a life-size T-Rex model. There is also a room dedicated to KwaZulu-Natal history, geological and Paleontological material, and a reconstruction of a Victorian street set in the late 1800's, complete with shops, stable and period homes. Take a walk through a life size recreation of a Drakensberg cave with rock art drawings or a walk on the wooden deck of a wrecked trading vessel in our Towns and Trade Exhibition.

What makes the KwaZulu-Natal Museum particularly interesting is the array of interesting temporary exhibitions that give the museum a definite dynamic advantage. Temporary exhibitions and happenings have included an exploration of the history of segregation in the US, xenophobic violence, children’s art exhibition. The Museum officially opened an exciting exhibition on the Soccer World Cup, in May 2010. The 150th anniversary of the arrival of Indian people to South Africa was celebrated in November 2010, with the launch of a new permanent exhibition showcasing the Indian community of Pietermaritzburg. The KwaZulu-Natal Museum is also very popular with the schools and family visitors alike.