This article examines the textual relationship between the paintings of Adriaan van Zyl and the novel
Memorandum: a story with paintings (2006) by Marlene van Niekerk. The traditional assumptions
about what constitutes the narrative as genre are subverted by the inclusion of the so-called Hospital
Series 2004-2006 by Van Zyl. The novel should not be read as a commentary on the paintings as
such but rather as an accompaniment to the paintings – as suggested by the author herself. From the
interaction between painting and novel the reader/viewer has to rely on certain codes and conventions
to analyse the text under discussion. Genette’s notion of transtextuality and in particular his notion of
the architext assists the reader in deconstructing the meaning of this collaborative project on human
suffering.
In hierdie artikel word die tekstuele wisselwerking tussen die skilderye van Adriaan van Zyl en die
roman van Marlene van Niekerk, Memorandum: `n verhaal met prente (2006) ondersoek. Wat ons
tradisioneel bestempel as kenmerkend van die narratief as genre word gesuspendeer deur die insluiting
van `n reeks skilderye, die sg Hospitaalreeks van Adriaan van Zyl. Die roman moet nie gelees word
as synde kommentaar op die skilderye nie – soos wat die outeur self aangedui het. Uit hierdie
interaksie tussen skildery en roman word die leser/kyker gedwing om sekere kodes en konvensies te
gebruik om die teks te analiseer, maar wat noodwendig afwyk van sy bestaande opvattinge. Genette
se konsepte soos transtekstualiteit en argiteks word ingespan om hierdie gesamentlike projek oor
menslike lyding te dekonstrueer
