Set in the heart of the old city, the Church Street walking mall is flanked by the colourful Georgian and Dutch facades built by the 18th and 19th century settlers. Behind these facades are some of the oldest and most prestigious galleries, antique shops and auction houses in Cape Town. The Cape Gallery, 60 Church St contains within the premise is an 18th century Dutch cottage.
Central to the tradition of South African painting is the abiding love of the land. Early Cape painters were' reporters' who described the topography, flora and fauna of this fascinating land, a conservative approach that is still favoured by the gallery's clients. Recently the emergence of the vibrant street art has added an essentially African character to the work on display.
Heather Martienssen of the University of Witwatersrand writes in her introduction to the 1966 edition of Twentieth Century South African Art published by Human & Rousseau that Landscape has always been the central tradition in South African painting not only because the first painters were' reporters' whose main intention was to describe the topography, flora and fauna of this fascinating, unknown land for the information of people who would never see it but because the early development here of 'settler art' coincided with the enthusiasm in Europe for an intensive development of skills describing the objective world.
The Cape Gallery deals in paintings and sculpture in this tradition by well known South African artists. Peter Clarke writes that there is no word for art in Xosa . The development of the vibrant, humorous street art of the townships may be rooted in the traditions of europe but is essentially african in its concern for people expressed in the concept of ubuntu - humanity and caring for your fellow being. The Cape Gallery trades in fine art reflecting the rich cultural diversity of the people who live in South Africa.
