daniel blignaut

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I use trees as a metaphor for the human condition — for instance, the visual measure of the passage of time, the seasonal cycle of death and rebirth, and the diversity of personalities. My work is interested in the physicality of trees, and in the way that time, environment and climate impacts the body to produce an enormous visual variety. 

In my latest work, I return to the subject of trees, which has fascinated me since childhood and occurred in my work since the early eighties. Instead of a representational depiction, I employ something similar to an Iconographic template to portray their presence, complexity, and majesty.

In “A Conversation with Trees,” the vibrant colors that have been a hallmark of my work are slightly de-saturated and toned down. I explore the visual nature of my subject matter by expressing it in a variety of textures. The chess board pattern which has always been a dominant symbol in my art now inhabits a new role as part of the broader language of pattern and texture.  | Daniel Blignaut

artist statement

Art over the centuries has been engaged in exploring and producing beauty, and more recently has had a vexed relationship with that concept. My work unabashedly aims to achieve aesthetic beauty by evoking a primal fascination with the allure of gold and the aesthetic pleasure of color, pattern and texture — as evident throughout human visual history. My process involves making bold aesthetic statements only to soften them with a multitude of layers, which adds to the eventual complexity of the surface. This has the effect of indicating a passage of time on the canvas itself. 

I see my current work as a culmination of early artistic influences and the maturation of my distinctive personal style. Through an increased intricacy and variety of elements, I continue to push the boundaries of long-standing themes in my work. 

Brief overview of background

Soon after obtaining his Masters degree in Architecture, Blignaut then pursued his interest in painting; studying Fine Art at the University of South Africa. For many years Blignaut
remained a practicing architect, while applying himself after hours to his artistic inclinations. 

His work has always incorporated vibrant color, the use of symbols, and personal iconography like the chess board pattern. Over the past three decades his main interests have been in the expressive, symbolic impact of color and representational objects, and in earlier works, explored the use of naïve art with definitive expressive undertones. Blignaut has used children’s paintings as “found objects” for the framework for many of his paintings. 

As an architect, Blignaut had to work with very strict drafting guidelines regarding precision, with accuracy as the most important rule. As an artist, he has become fascinated with the accidental line, and in rich complex surfaces, frequently working with “found” and “discovered” elements within his own work.

artist bio

EDUCATION
1983–1984 University of South Africa | Enrolled in Bachelors of Fine Arts
1976–1980 University of Pretoria Pretoria, South, Africa | MA Architecture

SOLO EXHIBITIONS
2013   
Slice Gallery, Orlando, FL
Bill Lowe Gallery, Atlanta, Ga
Thy Studio @ 620, St Petersburg FL

1995
Karen Mc Kerron Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa.

1993
Karen Mc Kerron Gallery, Johannesburg, South Africa

1989
Volkskas Gallery – Pretoria, South Africa

1987
Volkskas Gallery – Pretoria, South Africa

GROUP SHOWS
2006  
Gala Corina Art Exhibition – Tampa FL

2005
Gala Corina Art Exhibition – Tampa FL

2004
Gala Corina Art Exhibition – Tampa FL

2003
Gala Corina Art Exhibition – Tampa FL

1995
Arcadia Gallery – Pretoria South Africa

1986
SA Art Society New Signatures –Volkskas Gallery Pretoria South Africa

1985
SA Art Society New Signatures – Volkskas Gallery Pretoria South Africa