Paper

22 x 28

22-1/2 in

14-13/16 in

Voices of Human Rights (2005)

Cultural/Historical Context

"SOUTH AFRICA’S BILL OF RIGHTS FRONTISPIECE Norman Kaplan Kimberley/Northern Cape linocut Norman Kaplan’s print is the winning entry of a nationwide competition for the portfolio’s frontispiece. His uplifting and dynamic image depicts a cheerful crowd marching united under a giant South African flag towards a common goal with optimism and determination. The rich diversity that characterizes our society is indicated in the details of the clothes, head dresses and facial features, representing a variety of different cultures social classes and ages. The mother-and-child group in the foreground symbolizes the new generation, which can now hope for a bright future, suggested by the light that illuminates the people’s faces from the front. At the mother’s side, the baby’s father completes the image of the nuclear family. He is holding a sheaf of wheat, an obvious hint at bread as a staple of basic nutrition. Another interpretation, however, offers a tempting reference to South Africa’s most recent past: in Christian iconography the sheaf of wheat is a symbol of redemption and deliverance…"