PAINTINGS FROM THE FOREST MOUNTAIN

 

More interesting than the meeting with painters is searching for them. Sometimes it can be called a detective search. It is something like defeating mountain peaks, where the journey is more important than the goal. Mzuguno showed us that finding him would not be easy. I didn't have his telephone number and to get it was to hard task for common European traveller. The painter John Kilaka helped me; he found him through the network of painter's interpol.

 

Mzuguno´s Style

The paintings of David Mzuguno are interesting already at the first sight. Maybe it is due the fact that every object on the painting is outlined with a fat black line, so there arises the impression of sharp contrasts. Mzuguno is very often painting african flora, which is actually in the background of rural life. It is like if every single blood - vessel of  leave was individual thing. Lately he left to paint the rural life and started to paint just trees, flowers and leaves. Every thing is in green tone. It is his new individual style.

Scared of Tingatinga painters

We met in front of a luxury hotel near Morogoro stores, where famous Tingatinga painters are painting. He may have started his carrier with them, but from the beginning he was painting with a different style and most of his paintings were quickly sold, therefore he was  accused from whichcraft. In Africa that is quite common. If someone is successfull in trading, he is accused that he has to do something with evil. So, Mr. Mzuguno decided that he will paint alone at home without useless mischiefs with Tingatinga painters. It was the begining of his successfull career.

 

Kempinski Hotel

Mzuguno introduced himself to me, like you can read it about him in publications. He was born in the Kilimanjaro region and as a young boy went to paint in Tingtinga style. Immediately from the beginning he distinguished himself from other painters and than he seperated from them. Before we left each other he revealed me, that he is painting walls in restaurant in Kilimanjaro hotel. Mzuguno was so nice, that he borowed us his car with his driver to see his work at hotel Kilimanjaro (now Kempinki). We found his work in hotel, which was beeing finished in the moment by his around 20 years old son Juma. Juma is the biggest expert in painting with fat black line -  the work, which is very time consuming.

 

 Buy Mzuguno Paintings on Tinga Tinga Studio 

 


Author: Daniel Augusta
Date: 30.09.2007   
Gallery