1980's
This decade marked Slingsby’s return from Amsterdam to South Africa and a period of profound transformation: marriage, fatherhood, and a renewed sense of personal grounding. In tandem with these life changes came a radical shift in his artistic practice. Rejecting commercial expectations, he pivoted from figurative work to a bold new visual language inspired by southern Africa’s ancient petroglyphs, a subject that would become central to his career. This commitment was crystallised in a landmark solo exhibition at the Goodman Gallery, introduced by Professor David Lewis-Williams, setting the stage for decades of both recognition and resistance.
1980
Tin toys
Oil on wood
"On 16 July 1945 the first atomic bomb was exploded at the 'Trinity' site in New Mexico. This is a close up of 'Tin toys' which I painted in 1980 while living in Den Haag, Holland. Tin toy characters were developed to 'normalise' society in the post war period."
1980
Pink cadilac
Oil on wood panel​
​Artist's collection
1983
The painter
Oil on Arches paper
1983
The anatomy lesson
Oil on canvas
1985
Retreat of kagen
Oil on canvas
1986
Descent into anarchy
Oil on canvas
"I had been moved by the sculpture, 'The Destroyed City' by Ossip Zadkine, in Rotterdam when I lived in Holland while a student at the Vrije Akademie, . He depicted the horror of WWII through the arms thrown up in despair. Likewise, I wanted to communicate the horror I felt about the oppressive apartheid regime we were living under in South Africa, represented by the straight lines."
1988
Self portrait
Oil on canvas
145 x 160 cm
1989
Metamorphosis
Oil on canvas
1989
The last supper
Oil on canvas
"
Linda Givon is seen here introducing Professor David Lewis-Williams, who opened the second exhibition I held at the Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg. While this art was revolutionary in the art world, Prof Lewis-Williams’s interpretation of rock art was revolutionary in the academic world. As pioneers of new insights into Africa’s cultural heritage, it took the pioneering spirit of Linda Givon, to provide a platform to our voices of liberation at a critical time in South Africa’s history. Gathering unrecorded rock art material for my art, took years of research in the recording of these non-figurative petroglyphs of the Richtersveld. Through my endeavours to find a meaning in them, I reached out to Professor Lewis-Williams. Our mutual interest allowed me to lead a team from the University of Witwatersrand Cognitive Archaeology Department to the sites I had been recording. This in turn, led to valuable contributions in various academic publications.
My interest in the art and cultural heritage of Africa is relentless, taking me across this incredible continent in the pursuit of untold art, images, artefacts, and experiences; at times beautiful, at times uncomfortable, at times controversial, but always ahead of time. The oil on canvas ‘The Last Supper’ is in the permanent collection of the William Humphries Art Museum."
Robert Slingsby
