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VISUAL ARTS
Introductory activity (group work)
Colour symbolism (example: Zulu love letter)
Colour has a multitude of symbolic meanings and various cultural groups attach different values to different colours. Many years ago a type of communication that was based on specific colour values, came into use in South Africa. It was something in the line of a colour dictionary and was originated with glass beads in different colours that were distributed in the former Zululand from a Portuguese trading station in Delagoa Bay (Port Elizabeth). Later European dealers who settled there continued this trade in beads. When young Zulu men left their homes to work on far away farms and in towns, their sweethearts who were left behind and knew nothing about writing letters, had to develop a system that did not rely on writing to communicate with them. This led to the development of the Zulu love letter. At the beginning, different beads were merely strung together and ‘read’ from top to bottom. Later the string of beads was converted to a decorative square and the message of the beads was ‘read’ from the outside to the inside.
This therefore is where the idea of a ‘dictionary’ comes in: each colour having a meaning. Meanings differed from area to area, but generally were very similar.
Some of the well-known and general meanings are provided below. (An example of such a love letter is also included):
An example of a Zulu love letter:
Examine the Zulu love letter above, as well as the meanings that the Zulu people attached to the colours, and discuss it in the group. Try to decide, as a group, what the letter tries to communicate. Remember that it should be read from outside to inside!
Share your opinions with the rest of the class.
While the other groups are sharing their opinions with the class, you may assess them according to the guidelines in the following assessment grid:
| LO 3.4 | ||||
Homework Assignment
Below is an example of a colour value chart. Talk to your family or to people in your community or environment to find out which particular values they attach to these colours and use the chart for summing up the information that you get:
| COLOUR | POSITIVE VALUE | NEGATIVE VALUE |
| Black | ||
| Blue | ||
| Green | ||
| White | ||
| Red |
| LO 3.2 |
Activity 1 (Individual)
Name-based design :
Cheerful
Formal
Sad
Pleasant
Tense
| Learning Outcomes(LOs) |
| LO 3 |
| participation and cooperationThe learner is able to display personal and social skills while participating in arts and culture activities as an individual and in a group. |
| Assessment Standards(ASs) |
| This is demonstrated when the learner: |
| GENERAL |
| 3.1 shows entrepreneurial skills in marketing artworks; |
| 3.2 keeps to the time schedule through management and self-discipline; |
| 3.3 investigates career options in arts and culture; |
| 3.4 collaborates to:3.4.1 co-operates with other members of the group during art activities; |
| 3.4.2 shows the ability to make a personal contribution within the context of the group; |
| VISUAL ARTS3.8 does research with regard to the arts and shares information with other learners; |
| MUSIC3.7 is able to do research on the emotional aspects of music; |
| DRAMA3.6 is able to apply research on informal theatre; |
| DANCE/MOVEMENT3.5 is able to do research on career possibilities in dance and share the information. |
Activity 1 (individual)
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