Maestro with the brush turns 75 years

One such “master” is local resident Barry de Villiers, who celebrated his 75th birthday on March 10.

De Villiers still keeps his own pace of creativity, producing without fuss work that captures the imagination.

He remains a favourite among entertainers such as lyrists and poet Koos van der Merwe, from the group Prophet.

One of the works that de Villiers produced last year, as commissioned by van der Merwe, was an imaginative landscape of the Garden of Gethsemane.

De Villiers, who regarded the garden scene as one of his best works, also recently completed a painting commissioned by Elvis Blue.

However, this artist doesn’t blow his own horn – he keeps on teaching diligently at the Art Centre and paints without seeking fame.

His house in Parkrand and his studio in Market Street bear evidence of years of dedication to the art scene, and those with a trained eye will know that his work resembles not merely pretty pictures on a canvas.

This is art.

Hundreds of years ago art still meant something and, still today, there are artists in essence who create work not for profit or to be popular.

Art is in the blood of such artists and, as in the case of de Villiers, art is their life, which is evident in their work of integrity and honesty.

When the Advertiser interviewed de Villiers last year, he said he was going through his Renaissance period and that he is certainly not done.

Before 2013, de Villiers had been quiet on the artistic scene for several years, due to several personal setbacks, but he hasn’t laid down his brush.

“I still get people who ask me if I still paint, which makes me feel like I have become an almost non-entity,” said de Villiers when speaking on his Renaissance bloom.

This prompted him to complete an abstract work entitled “Renaissance” with renewed vigour and enthusiasm.

“I will definitely not say I am the custodian of the fine arts scene, but I do see myself as having some kind of responsibility to ensure that there remains a sense of true art in the community,” he says.

“As I like to say, bad art is like stolen property that never goes away.”

These days, he is bolstered to strive for even greater heights by the fact that Madiba started his great liberation work at the age of 76, while masters like Picasso painted at 90 years of age.

De Villiers was recently approached by van der Merwe to embark on an ambitious project, which is to create art work based on the singer’s successful poetry collection, Rympies in die vliet.

This art work could, potentially, be exhibited.

Micha Hannemann, manager of Visual Arts and Crafts, City of Ekurhuleni, also wished de Villiers a happy birthday, saying he is a legend.

“He is one of the kindest, gentlest and most giving people I have ever come across,” she says.

“He is both an artist and a teacher.

“His whole life he has been actively involved in his community, creating opportunities for other artists to work, learn and compete.

“For many years he has organised art competitions for scholars, art exhibitions for adults and children alike. He has also arranged exhibitions and studio space for artists from disadvantaged backgrounds.

“Culturally well-rounded, his interests stretch to other art forms, such as photography, theatre, ballet, architecture, cinema and the decorative arts.

“In recognition of his artistic achievements and community involvement , both the City of Boksburg and later the City of Ekurhuleni, have bestowed numerous honours to him.

“The first of these was the naming of the Boksburg Art Gallery in his name, ‘The Barry de Villiers Art Gallery’.

“This gallery, with its state-of-the-art exhibition fittings received an architectural award when it was constructed, which bears testimony to the greatness of its namesake.

“There is a council resolution that states that ‘in recognition of what Barry de Villiers has done for his community and the visual arts in particular, he has the life time rights to the first floor of the Boksburg Creative Arts Building’.

“De Villiers has put this to very good use through hosting numerous cultural evenings in this space; thus bringing cultural events and opportunities to the people of Boksburg.

“Lastly, de Villiers was honoured with the very prestigious Mayoral Life Time Achievement Award, in recognition of his achievements in the visual arts, by the then Mayor of the City of Ekurhuleni, Duma Nkosi.”

Hannemann says de Villiers is a very versatile artist, working in various media and styles.

“His art works have a very peaceful, yet dynamic feel to them; they certainly reflect his character,” she explains.

“They differ from large abstracts to miniature, realistic landscapes and still-lives.

“My personal favourite art pieces are his abstracts; I love the muted and complementary colour tones in both the night scene abstracts and the Namib desert abstracts.

“Few artists understand and have mastered the colour palette as well as de Villiers has in his Namibian abstract mono-prints.

“The compositions are superb, with balancing shapes and lines, each one a masterpiece in its own right.”

* Koos van der Merwe skryf oor de Villiers:

Dit is vir die afgelope 25 jaar my voorreg om Barry de Villiers my vriend te kan noem. Sy kuns betower my. Sy menswees inspireer my. Sy intellek verbyster my. Sy belesenheid beïndruk my.

Die fasette van ‘n man soos Barry de Villiers is te veel om te noem. Sy geloof, deernis, egtheid, diepte, fyn humorsin, gebroke opregtheid. Barry die digter. Barry die weldoener. Barry die misterieuse. Barry die meester.

Indien dit nie so sal wees dat Barry in dekades wat kom onthou sal word as een van ons grootste kustenaars nie, sal dit bloot ‘n aanduiding wees dat ons samelewing oningelig is.

Vir ons wat in sy dampkring kon kom is hy reeds ‘n legende. Een van die grootstes.