A work of art by Robert Slingsby is characterised by two significant criteria of equal importance. He never produces art for art’s sake. The art he makes is born out of the combination of an intellectual process and applying a self taught technique, developed over decades, to the point of craftsmanship. It is this aspect that I will provide a deeper insight into. In terms of his painting methods, Slingsby has evolved through numerous stages over more than thirty years. When contemplating his technique it must be noted that throughout, he has never made use of an airbrush and all the surfaces are constructed from paint alone. 

In the early seventies, as a very young painter, Slingsby experimented with acrylics and primers on either canvas or canvas stretched onto board. The brushstroke was fine in keeping with a style of highly realistic figurative images in a surreal setting. At this stage he was emerging from being a school student, going through military service and making the commitment to pursue what he believed was his only option in life i.e. to be an artist.

1970's

These teen years established that he not only had talent, but the motivation and focus to single-mindedly pursue his goal from such an early age; Robert chose to study at the Vrije Akademie in Den Haag, Holland. 

The decision to study in Holland was determined by his unwillingness to be part of the apartheid education facilities plus the advice of mentors who believed he would benefit by studying abroad.

It was inevitable that both the extremely traditional approach to the preparations of the canvas, materials used and the opportunity to see at first hand the great Dutch masters, both old & modern such as Rembrandt, Van Gogh & Karel Appel, would have a profound influence.

Above: & extreme left: Paintings from 1973  & 1978 are oil paintings showing the finely applied paint.

Left: "Whites only" Oil on canvas painted in 1977. The oil is very finely applied onto the canvas. The texture of the canvas can be seen through the paint.

Above: Detail "Tin toys" Oil on panel painted in 1980 showing fine brushstroke

Below: The "ballman" a feature of the late '70's, was a finely detailed creature which remained a vehicle of fine painting as it evolved into the faces which Slingsby has become associated with.

Above: Detail "Juke box" Oil on panel painted in 1986 showing fine brushstroke

1980's

As a student in Holland, restrained by the cost of quality paint and the living conditions of the Dutch, who generally inhabited small apartments which dictated small canvases, Slingsby opted for appropriate size. This resulted in a period of working on specially prepared wood panels using brushstrokes which were incredibly fine, which in turn allowed him to capture painstaking detail in the imagery.  Slingsby was very early on classified with and named as one of Holland's top ten "fijn schilders" or "fine painters". 

Above: Detail from "Descent into anarchy" showing the continued use of fine & bold brush strokes

On his return to South Africa, there was pressure to produce more art on a larger scale. He produced large canvases applying the oil paint thickly with brushes & palette knife in some areas whilst still resorting to his fine brushstroke in others. This was a period of exploring line and the properties of paint. He experimented with products allowing for the thick application creating the sculptural, three dimensional quality to the surface. This stage also initiated the notion of etching into the paint to create a contrasting line as apposed to simply painting in detail. 

Above: The compartmentalised faces with schematic design derived from the ball man, would evolve & carry through into the future.

Finally Slingsby became limited by the time restraint presented by oils in terms of the drying rates. By the late eighties Slingsby departed from tradition to explore the medium of acrylic. Acrylics offered two major breakthroughs. Acrylic has a particularly fast drying rate plus it is able to create an exaggerated three dimensional surface which can almost be sculpted when using the appropriate product. Slingsby is acknowledged as the pioneer of this technique.

Above: Oil on canvas "Descent into anarchy" from 1986 showing the thick impasto of  the surface

Following this period of epic works which included canvas's like "Descent into anarchy", "Anatomy lesson", "The Jewish Bride" and "Retreat of Kaggen", Slingsby went through the petroglyph period. The very nature of these rock engravings created by pecking into the dolomite rock, forced a change in his brush stroke. It was at this point that the surfaces included the dots of paint applied with a palette knife.

Above: A petroglyph painting from the late eighties demonstrates the many techniques used whilst still using oils. The palette knife was used to create the background texture plus the dots. The border was etched out to create a flat surface. Fine brush strokes were used for lines and details.

1990's

Below: By the mid-nineties, as Slingsby emerged from the petroglyph era the use of the etching into the surface coupled with painting into the etched lines was very prominent as demonstrated in the spiral. This era denoted the tail end of painting onto the surface to create detail.

He continued to create highly textured surfaces inviting the audience to explore and enjoy the tactile quality. Slingsby adapted to his medium with a resultantly freer approach to his use of line. This new found freedom of expression in his line greatly influenced his subject matter. There was an air of spontaneity and childlikeness. Having emerged from an era of exactitude in reproducing the imagery he saw on the dolomite rocks of the Richtersveld, Slingsby generated his own alphabet of symbols so familiar from his lexicon of rock art imagery. Spirals, zigzags, ladders grids littered his landscapes with sticklike spiritual beings providing a more figurative element.

Above: By 1996 the etching technique with the child-like faces had fully emerged.

Left: Detail dotted paint from petroglyph painting  

The early acrylics were a liberation from the brush. Acrylic was lavishly applied, demanding an urgency dictated by the fast drying medium when designing the painting. It is at this juncture, where Slingsby, the innovator of this method, shows his attention to detail. This means that following the initial stage, there remain more stages, requiring an informed eye to appreciate.

Above & right: Examples of the technique of etching lines into the paint & then painting into the etched line.

In other words, the technique he uses today arose two decades ago.  With a history of incredibly fine paintings using oils and the most delicate of brushes whilst an art student in Holland during the nineties; the liberation of being able to afford larger canvases, more paint and the practicality of exhibiting  and selling larger format canvases had an immediate impact on his brush stroke. 

Through out the decades of developing the technique of thickly acrylic impasto surfaces into which the line is incised, Slingsby has exercised a degree of craftsmanship that adds a new dimension to his technique. This degree of perfection can only be appreciated through close-up scrutiny.

2000's

By this decade, the technique of marking into acrylic paint has been taken to new heights. He has developed methods of "sculpting" the surface which add unique dimensions. For those who feel it is a technique they have seen before, the criteria to observe are the actual edges of the imprints and the variation of markings beyond the linear freehand. 

Above : Examples of the intense use of sculpting the paint 

In recent years Slingsby has become guarded about the precise method he uses. All that he is prepared to reveal is that the process is time consuming and laborious. The end result is a surface that many artists have attempted to copy, but none have managed to emulate. Finally, the process of painting remains the focus of all his canvas's. Layering, scumbling and glazing are techniques that apply to all the paintings and give them the depth and refinement associated with his art.

Above: A new step which results in a speckled or reticulated surface.

Above: The shack paintings represented a deviation where he explored alternative methods of manipulating the surface. 

Above: Slingsby displays control of his technique in paintings like this which mould the paint into parallel lines