Contemporary British artist Kimathi Donkor depicts the striking image of a female figure (Yaa Asantewaa) dressed in strapless, long black dress holding a rifle in her right hand. She stands on a hillside with a green forest below under a stark red, orange and yellow sky. The large-scale portrayal of Queen Mother Yaa Asantewaa celebrates her role in leading Asante resistance to British forces during the final Anglo-Asante War (1900-1901). It also embraces post-colonial redemption, as reflected in the prominent colors of the Republic of Ghana national flag introduced at independence in 1957: green, black, red, and gold. The sitter for this painting is Risikat Donkor, the artist's British-Nigerian muse and spouse. Donkor, selected the beautiful iconic "Madame X" (Virginie Gautreau) portrait by American artist John Singer Sargent as a visual reference. In depicting Yaa Asantewaa, he has appropriated the pose, dress, and composition of Sargent's work. Donkor's commemorative representation of Yaa Asantewaa contrasts the Black noblewoman who resisted British imperialism with Sargent's privileged white, slave-plantation heiress. Yaa Asantewaa was Queen Mother of Ejisu in the Ashanti Empire and a fearless leader of the 1900 War of the Golden Stool against British colonial rule. She rallied her people with courage and determination, becoming a symbol of resistance and African independence. Her legacy endures as a champion of women’s leadership, justice, and self-determination in the face of oppression. Donkor, of Ghanaian and Anglo-Jewish heritage, creates paintings that explore global, black history and his figurative paintings depict "African diasporic bodies and souls as sites of heroism and martydom, empowerment and fragility...myth and matter"
"Yaa Asantewaa Inspecting the Dispositions at Ejisu" by Kimathi Donkor (British) - Oil & acrylic on cotton canvas / 2014 - British Museum (London, England) #WomenInArt #art #artwork #artText #YaaAsantewaa #Ejisu #Asante #Ashanti #KimathiDonkor #Donkor #BritishArtist #BritishArt #BritishMuseum #hero
