Against the backdrop of a large stone slab, two figures appear to be standing on a row of aligned bricks – or at least it looks that way. The photo is taken from above, and the figures are actually lying down. One person, dressed in white, appears to be throwing a brick at the figure dressed in red.

Color Chart

Robin Rhode

Keywords

The film Color Chart by the South African artist Robin Rhode embodies the struggle between the white canvas and colour. In the guise of a man dressed in white, the canvas successfully defends itself against the attacks of opponents clad in colour, who assail it with various weapons. Rhode tells the story in stop-motion animation using simple means. The ground is suggested only by a row of bricks, which also serve as projectiles, while a worn floor provides the background. Rhode understands Color Chart not only as an exploration of the medium of painting, but also as a humorous allusion to the black community’s struggle for recognition of their identity in a South Africa still shaped by its colonial history.