Kampala — For the first time in history, the Uganda Museum has had a rear opportunity to showcase works of modern Dutch masters in a show codenamed "Dutch Masters Today." The organisers say it is actually the first time such an exhibition is happening on the African continent.

Organised courtesy of the royalafrican.org in conjunction with Terp Group, a local organisation and with support from the Embassy of the Kingdom of Netherlands, the exhibition features works by famed artists such as Peter Diem, Marion Baar, Ton Eyseen, Sabine Spaanderman, Nel van Duijker and a host of fifty other big names.

That is, names that may ring volumes to the Dutch society and yet make no smidgen of sense to the ordinary and, in many cases, even the clued-up Uganda art buffs.

It was quite a spectacle at the official launch on October 2 at the museum's exhibition hall where the who-is-who in Ugandan art, members of the diplomatic corps and many art lovers feasted on a sumptuous cocktail as they were entertained to live music and speeches. Beyond that, there was a striking air of curiosity that loomed over the faces of most observers as they tried to figure out the uniqueness and even superior talent that might be hidden in these masters' works. There was sufficient grounds for comparison as the organisers also exhibited works of three well known local artists: Henry Mzili, Paulo Akiiki and Daudi Kalungi alongside those of the Dutch.

Historically speaking, Ugandan and Dutch art styles are worlds apart. On the one hand, Netherlands was among the major art centres during the medieval era through to the Post Renaissance and peaked in the 18th century before the global centre of art shifted to France and England. It produced some of the world's most famed artists, including Vincent van Gogh. On the other hand, Uganda's modern visual culture is too recent to make any meaningful comparison with the former, spanning approximately 70 years. However, pitting the modern Dutch masters with our own masters under the same roof presents some critical questions about the essence of art.

A critical observation of the display indicates two characteristics that are quite telling in terms of differences with our own. The individualism latent in the works of the Dutch masters and the use of space is quite distinct, as posited by Dr. George W. Kyeyune, the Dean of the school of art at Makerere University. No two artists among the Dutch masters share any significant traits in terms of inspiration, colour and other details. Secondly, there is a distinct peculiarity in the way the Dutch artists organise content in space; there is usually more "unworked" space than there is subject matter. This, according to Dr. Kyeyune, typifies their very lifestyles, where most Westerners relish spacious surrounding such as living rooms, bedrooms, etc. This obsession consciously or unconsciously finds its way into their visual expressions. Conversely, their Ugandan counterparts endeavour to utilise all available space on the canvas. Whether this practice implies that Ugandans are more "crowded" both literarily and also ideologically remains the questions for individual observers. As well, the works of Ugandans are quite lacking in uniqueness as most of the works have a near visible string that seems to tie them all together.

By labeling the show "Dutch Masters Today," most local patrons must have turned up expecting spectacular masterpieces wrought in completely different and probably far superior styles. However, from the look of things, most patrons must have strained their vision to pick out that transcendental element in the works but in vain. Whereas the paintings and prints presented a fresh outlook to art, some of them had a strong proclivity to our own. If some of the signatures on the works were replaced with our locally bred artists, perhaps no one would notice or even raise an eye-brow. Ultimately, whatever may be masterful or magical about the Dutch masters may, as they say, still have to lie in the eyes of the beholder. The show ends on October 31. Entrance is free.