Zim stone art is world class

Shepherd, asked this rhetorical question: “Now that Henry Moore is dead, who is the greatest stone carver in the world?
“In my experience, there are three outstanding contenders. All three come from Zimbabwe”

Many a critic and analyst stand with Michael in his opinion. This is much so because stone art from Zimbabwe is found in classical museums like the New York Museum of Modern Art and displayed alongside works by Matisse, Picasso and Henry Moore.
Zimbabwe is just but a small country in Southern Africa, but talk of its stone art anywhere in the world and you will indeed cause quite a sensation.

What makes Zimbabwe stone art a world class? If you are a follower of Zimbabwe stone art you might think of different aspects. Amongst these you might think of commitment, originality, talent and the raw material.
Yes, indeed these are some of the aspects that have immensely shouldered our stone art to world heights.
But what is commitment to stone artists? What measures talent and what is originality? What role does the raw stone play? This article will try to address and discuss such questions.

Commitment

The late Nicholas Mukomberanwa helps us understand commitment in stone art. He once said: “Put me in prison and I will die. But put me in prison and give me tools I will survive.”
This is a true example of commitment. Nicholas died while still working. Most of other first generation artists have now died and likewise they died whilst still working. They never turned to any other profession after lending their hand to stone sculpturing. Recessions have forced many people to change their professions but real stone artists have stood by their art.

In the 1970s it was the Unilateral Declaration of Independence by Ian Smith that brought sanctions and the war that could have easily forced stone artists to abandon their trade but, alas, they continued. Theirs was and still is indeed a commitment intermixed with true love for art.
Zimbabwe stone artists continue to work the stone during the good and the bad times. It is this kind of commitment that gave birth to this much appreciated trade today.
Now the movement is appreciated all over the world and thanks to the Old Masters and those who promoted their works.

Originality
What determines originality in Zimbabwe stone art? Should we understand it in the context of what Fanizani of Tengenenge said? Yes, we can! He said: “People look at my work and say this is Fanizani.”
Yes, indeed style and originality can become the identity of an artist. Art collectors and gallery owners all over the world simply identify sculptures from Zimbabwe by their artists.

Simply put, originality can be the identification of an artist. Today we are able to see a sculpture and say this is the late Bernard Matemera or Henry Munyaradzi because they managed to create something new, something that can only be identified with them.
This is originality in the true sense of the word because originality leads you to the origin, the one who created the art and the style. Fanizani of Tengenenge plainly puts it this way: “We worked together side by side Bernard, Henry and I but we never copied each other.”

This has proved to be very true because today sculptures by these men and many others have clear identities that distinguish them from each. This formed the foundation for greater things to come because new stone artists today are obliged and compelled to come up with their own style and identity.

Talent
Sometimes talent is never talent unless it is identified. With Zimbabwe stone art it was Frank McEwen, the first director of the then National Gallery of Rhodesia, who identified this talent.
He had influence in the world of arts because amongst his best friends were Picasso, Matisse, Braque and many others and had studied history of art at the Sorbonne. He saw more than just works of stone; he saw the talent that would one day become world art.

Now the question would be; what he identified as talent was it really talent? There is enough evidence to date to support and prove him correct. But what is this talent?
The Oxford Dictionary describes it as “high mental ability”. This simply means we can have many stone sculptors, but those who are talented will always stand above the rest.

A good example is Dominic Benhura et al. He is a stone artist with talent and his talent is much recognisable because his sculptures are eye catching and thrilling.
They have movement, theme and amazing balance. They have the power to live long on the mind and this power that compels the mind to capture and record such images of stone is nothing but talent.
This is indeed the type of talent that can easily find its way into the Nelson Mandela Foundation.

This talent of his has actually enabled him to capture in stone images that some of us never thought they can be sculpted on stone. His master pieces like “Swing Me Mama”, “Helping our HIV Friend” and many more others have really changed the world of arts. He has taken the bull by its horns and this together with his talent has helped him to stand above the rest.
His is a talent intermixed with the love for stone and life.
He truly brings to light the words of Henry Moore (1898-1986), “To be an artist is to believe in life”.

The role of the raw stone
Zimbabwe is the only country that has vast deposits of raw materials that are used in stone sculpturing.
Some parts of the world do have their own raw stones like granite, dolomite, marble and soapstone but it is here in Zimbabwe that you can find the much attractive black and brown serpentine, saprolite, leopard rock, opal, verdite, spring stone and many more others. Moreover, those who work on granite and marble do need to have good machines to work on these stones because of their hardness and harsh qualities.

What about Zimbabwean stones? Simply put, they are user friendly. They remain the mainstay in the world of stone sculpting because they bring variety and colour. The greatest advantage of all is that these raw materials are found in vast deposits.
The Great Dyke remains the mainstream that supplies Zimbabwe stone artists with these much needed raw materials. This has contributed much to the growth of Zimbabwe stone art in the international world because stone artists can experiment in either way they wish.

They can practise and practise until they identify their own style because the availability of raw materials makes this possible. From the 1950s when these raw materials started to be extracted there has never been a shortage and never shall it be because they can supply us for millions of years to come. Many a stone artists have come, thrilled us and gone but the raw stone remains forever.

The Future
Zimbabwe stone sculpture will continue to dominate the world market because of its splendour and the factors we have discussed above. Lest we forget, not all stone sculptors are artists and not all artists have the talent!!