African portraits.

"Gladis" oil on canvas, 70x70cm, private collection

The exhibition at the Museum of Private Collections includes works painted in Bisket Mile and I want to write about some of them. Portraits Gladys and Angel. These two models, we found with my daughter Rada on Green Market Square. 

In those first years of our visits Cape Town was quite different, especially the Green Market. There came people from all over the republic, and very often they looked wild, speaking only in their own languages. I really liked it. These people were very natural and not accustomed to civilization.

Note about the Green Market.

History tells us that before the market was the place where they sold the slaves, then it turned into a vegetable market.

Today on the market a lot of tourists, where they buy traditional clothing, jewelry and souvenirs. Over time, the face of the market became slightly different - it began to dominate the African curios - sounds exciting music, masters weave braids to each other and here are the most colorful and eccentric characters of the city appear.

Greenmarket Square is an unbeatable value.

Today there are many restaurants and cafes that provide opportunities for people to read and enjoy the local cuisine. There are several coffee shops, restaurants and hotels that are convenient for customers who need to relax after shopping.

The square was built in 1696, when the first burgher watch house was built here, known as the "Watch Square". This house was rebuilt in the old town house in 1761, which functioned as a town hall for some time.

Today it houses a collection of paintings Michaelis. Many of the other houses in the area date back to the 1860s and the area declared a national monument in 1961.