Text - Rhodes University

Die Besoek is a simple, direct, blatant, perhaps one-dimensional story, made compelling
by its gloomy atmosphere and the main chara~ter's
mysterious motivations. Apparently
a simple personal story, rather than a manipulation of elements to express an idea, the
central emotions are laid bare, and by a simplistic treatment examined as mysterious in
themselves.
The drawing style is beautifully suited to the nervous, neurotic, tortured, yet banal theme
of the story. One constant motif is hands that are powerful but do not touch, that are
stiff, suggesting a childish helplessness, in stark contrast to the sophistication of the other
artists. Thoughts are depicted as pictures floating above the heads of the characters [fig
18] so that pictorially the thoughts are as real as the people and the overwhelmingly
subjective aspect of the whole encounter is emphasized.
Figure 18 Van Zyl Die Besoek p3 113