The Inside Story - Edition 2

One of the most entrancing books published by Otterley Press in 2015, must be The PrivateWorld of Normand Dunn written by Chris Perold. While Perold recognises the anecdotal nature of the paintings, the fun, the ‘naivety’ and the delight he contends that therein lies a private world of even greater significance, a world in which the essential elements are examined, depicted and, by implication, commented upon, - all with a gentle satirical eye.

Normand Dunn was a man of many parts. Born in Scotland in 1917, his artistic prowess led to a scholarship at the Edinburgh College of Art. The Second World War prevented him from taking up a further scholarship to study in Europe and he served with the British Army in both India and Burma; under appalling conditions in the latter.His life took a dramatic turn after a chance visit to the Durban Art Gallery when his troopship stopped in Natal on the way to India. There he saw an exhibition of an artist he greatly admired – Mary Vaughan Williams. They established a regular correspondence, and it was she who informed him of a vacant position at Hilton College, located near Pietermaritzburg. Postwar Scotland had little appeal. He accepted the post of Art Master and created the Art Department from scratch. Hilton became his home from 1947 until 1974.

Normand Dunn and his wife, Merle had bought a simple double-storeyed house in Swellendam and on feeling an increasing need to fulfil himself as a painter, the Dunn family moved to Rose Cottage in 1974. It was uninhabitable and they spent the first three months restoring it. Initially, and for the first five years, he struggled to paint and to develop a new art form. This eventually manifested itself in small paintings, the subjects of which spread from Swellendam’s Onderdorp to mission stations and coastal fishing villages. The imagery of fishing boats,nets  and fisherfolk became his trademark and his work was in danger of becoming stereotyped. It was Everard Read who encouraged him to ‘go big’ on a larger format but to retain the ‘little people’who had become fundamental to his work. Some of his finest work remained in the small format but the subjects became events, ceremonies and miraculous happenings, peopled by a multitude of participants and onlookers. His colours became bolder... I try to make a specific statement about my little worlds.  He clearly wanted to say something meaningful concerning the lives and social mores of his subjects.

He died of a fatal heart attack in August 1988. Bishop James Shuster conducted the funeral service, and after enumerating a list of Dunn’s formidable talents, his modesty albeit an international reputation, he concluded by saying of his dry sense of humour, It seems to have been  an inevitable ingredient of his painting . It was humour without malice; a gentle,kindly comment on the passing scene.

His multitude of paintings now grace the homes of family, friends and collectors both in South Africa and abroad.

Normand Dunn’s impact lives on.

REVIEW
Chris Perold must be commended for undertaking to enable a wider public to study, enjoy and admire the art of Normand Dunn. His book is a welcome and an important addition to the growing literature on art in South Africa. We thank him for that. And we belatedly thank Normand Dunn for his unique contribution to our art. Dr Hans Fransen, Cultural Historian and former Director of the Michaelis Collection, Cape Town.

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