This painting by Gwoktcho, one of the Ugandan masters, shows his unrelenting capacity for experimentation. The stylized picture of a wildebeest in flight fascinates because it captures the horrors of existence, so that one, contemplating the painting, can imagine what the animal is trying to flee from: imminent death. The abstract background intensifies tension in the painting, one of a small number that the artist has executed in this unique style. Gwoktcho, who for many years taught “drawing” as a primary course at the Margaret Trowell School of Industrial and Fine Arts, maintains a studio at his home in Kirinnya, just outside Kampala. Gwoktcho is best known for his exquisite paintings of wildlife, the reason this piece is rare in a remarkable oeuvre by a great artist.
