Fred’s art is unique and comes from his emotionally charged, activist heart. If his work resonates with you, please reach out to him and let him know. I will put you in touch with him.

#NigerianArtist

A dark-skinned woman sits front-facing within a pale stone-like arch, as if framed by a chapel window. Behind her head, a flat circle of gold leaf appears as a halo, bright against a mauve, scraped background. She wears a soft white blouse with short sleeves as one hand crosses to rest over her chest, a gesture of vow, ache, or self-soothing. Her bobbed black hair is pinned with small pink blossoms. Below the sill, dense hibiscus flowers and leaves gather in shadowy purples and wine-reds, their petals partly buried under scuffs and drips that make the surface feel weathered and timeworn. Her face is largely in shadow, the eyes and mouth only faintly modeled, giving her a quiet, guarded presence. Painted in 2020, as Nigerian artist Chidinma Nnoli shaped her voice in her early twenties after earning a BFA at the University of Benin and building a Lagos-based practice, this image turns devotional language toward the interior life of women. The halo becomes a witness rather than a crown, lighting an ordinary act of endurance. The hand over the heart reads like prayer and like protection including belief, longing, and the burden of being watched. The title’s “purple hibiscuses” suggest beauty that is lush but fragile like blooms that bruise, fall, and return. Around the figure, petals and leaves press against the ledge as if nature is trying to reclaim a sealed room. That push-and-pull between enclosure and insistence echoes the artist’s desire to “escape the conditioning” of a conservative Catholic upbringing. Shown in her debut solo exhibition To Wander Untamed at Rele Gallery, the painting frames femininity as tender and self-possessed, not offered for easy consumption. The scraped, scuffed surface reads like a memory handled again and again, insisting that liberation is a practice, not a single moment. With her features softened into shadow, the figure becomes both specific and archetypal of a woman claiming space inside the frame, and inside herself.

“When Purple Hibiscuses Fall” by Chidinma Nnoli (Nigerian) - Oil, acrylic & gold leaf on canvas / 2020 - Rele Gallery (Lagos, Nigeria) #WomenInArt #ChidinmaNnoli #Nnoli #ReleGallery #BlackArt #BlueskyArt #art #artText #artwork #WomensArt #WomanArtist #WomenArtists #NigerianArtist #WomenPaintingWomen

Against a deep, midnight-blue background on a square canvas, the artist’s face emerges in warm beiges and creams, angled down and slightly to the side. Heavy-lidded eyes look inward rather than meeting ours. Her nose is softly modeled. Full lips are painted a saturated red. One hand rises beside her head, as if pausing a thought, setting a boundary, or shielding from glare. Her dark hair is gathered into an expansive, sculptural mass, edged with quick, light strokes that read like comb marks catching light. Broad, matte planes and visible brush-drag keep the surface tender and intentional to be present, but not polished. Made early in Nigerian artist Modupeola Fadugba’s professional turn toward art, this 2014 self-portrait carries the logic of her wider practice of a mind trained in systems (chemical engineering and economics) and education, now using paint to ask how “value” is assigned and who gets to be legible, desirable, or believed. Instead of a front-facing declaration, she offers interiority. Her lowered gaze refuses the demand to perform while her lifted hand quietly regulates access. Even the hair brcomes architecture as protective, weighty, and self-authored to suggest that identity is built, maintained, and sometimes defended. Shown later at Temple Muse in Lagos (curated by SMO Contemporary Art), the portrait resonates with the language of navigating a “sea” of competition while remembering cooperation and communal care. The limited palette compresses the body into essentials (face, gesture, hair, mouth), as if saying that before the world appraises me, I decide what I will reveal. The red mouth, especially, doesn’t feel like decoration so much as insistence on a voice held in reserve. By leaving brushwork visible, Fadugba keeps herself from becoming a product. Instead, the portrait becomes an ethics of looking and likely asking us to honor a Black woman’s private life without turning it into a spectacle.

“Self Portrait for 2014” by Modupeola Fadugba (Nigerian) - Acrylic on canvas / 2014 - Temple Muse (Lagos, Nigeria) #WomenInArt #art #artText #artwork #BlueskyArt #ContemporaryArt #WomensArt #WomanArtist #WomenArtists #ModupeolaFadugba #Fadugba #TempleMuse #SelfPortrait #NigerianArt #NigerianArtist

Painted in 1967, a few years after Nigeria’s independence, this untitled portrait reflects artist Akinola Lasekan’s commitment to portraying Nigerians with seriousness and grace rather than as ethnographic types. Recognized as a pioneer of Nigerian modernism and especially admired for portraiture, Lasekan combined formal training under British educator Kenneth Murray with close observation of everyday people, using color and light to affirm their individuality. This vertical bust-length portrait depicts a Black woman facing slightly left against a curtain-like wash of mint and teal greens. Her deep brown skin is modeled with warm highlights across her forehead, nose, and collarbones, and a small scar on one cheek. She wears a tall, carefully wrapped pink and peach head tie that twists into a knot above her head, echoing the soft folds of cloth at her shoulders. Her blouse is patterned with narrow vertical stripes of rose, coral, and pale cream, as its rounded neckline frames the strong column of her neck. Long gold earrings with rounded drops hang just below her jawline. Her dark eyes are focused, but not on us. Her lips are gently closed, giving her expression a mix of composure and quiet resolve. Soft, blended brushstrokes keep surfaces smooth while faint vertical bands in the background suggest fabric behind her, keeping all attention on her calm, dignified presence. The woman’s elaborate head wrap, striped dress, and possible facial marks signal cultural rootedness, yet her direct, weighing gaze feels unmistakably contemporary. Set against the luminous green field, she appears neither idealized nor romanticized, but present as a thinking person who holds our look. By centering a Black woman as the sole subject, with no narrative scene around her, Lasekan quietly challenges colonial hierarchies that had long marginalized Africans. The work conveys beauty, self-possession, and the importance of seeing Nigerian women as protagonists in their own visual histories.

"Untitled" by Akinola Lasekan (Nigerian) - Oil on board / 1967 - Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art, Pan-Atlantic University (Lagos, Nigeria) #WomenInArt #AkinolaLasekan #Lasekan #art #artText #BlueskyArt #YemisiShyllonMuseumofArt #YSMA #Pan-AtlanticUniversity #NigerianArt #AfricanPortrait #NigerianArtist

Opeyemi Matthew Olukotun

#NigerianArtist painting primarily with acrylics

#OpeyemiMatthewOlukotun #art #artist #portraits #portraitpainter #acrylics #nigerianart #africanart #africanartist #nigeria #portraiture #contemporaryart #contemporaryartist #artworld #artistoftheday #OpeyemiOlukotun

Opeyemi Matthew Olukotun

#NigerianArtist painting primarily with acrylics

#OpeyemiMatthewOlukotun #art #artist #portraits #portraitpainter #acrylics #nigerianart #africanart #africanartist #nigeria #portraiture #contemporaryart #contemporaryartist #artworld #artistoftheday #OpeyemiOlukotun

Nigerian artist Paschal Kenechukwu Okafor’s title for this oil painting directs us to see these animals not as props but as co-equal subjects that guides in loyalty, patience, nonverbal care, and the constancy of love that precedes and outlasts romance. A young Black woman with warm brown skin sits turned slightly to her right, meeting us with a steady, reflective gaze. Her features are delicately modeled, but with bright highlights along her cheekbones, brow, and nose catching directional light. An intricate, sculptural hairstyle arcs above her head like looping black filigree, echoing both crown and halo. She wears a deep blue-black dress with voluminous sleeves and a crisp white ruff framing her neck and hands. Its bright folds sharpening the contrast against a muted earth-brown background. Two sleek black cats press into her arms: one cradled securely across her bosom, the other perched higher, its alert eyes parallel to hers. Their bodies form a dark triangle of weight and warmth against her torso, emphasizing touch, fur, and closeness. The surface is rich but controlled, with visible brushwork that softens edges while keeping every gaze intensely present. The young woman, likely a composite rather than a named individual, stands in for Black women whose emotional labor and tenderness are too often assumed yet rarely monumentalized. Her courtly collar and composed pose quote European portrait traditions, but here nobility is grounded in everyday intimacy by the trust of two black cats (creatures historically stigmatized, now calmly adored). Born in 1996 in Nigeria and working through galleries such as TAAG, Okafor is part of a rising generation of West African painters who reclaim representation on their own terms by fusing classical technique, spiritual subtext, and contemporary Black life to insist that softness, guardianship, and interspecies kinship are worthy of grand, iconic paint.

"Not all who teach us about love are human" by Paschal Kenechukwu Okafor (Nigerian) - Oil on canvas / 2024 - TAAG Gallery (New York) #WomenInArt #PaschalKenechukwuOkafor #Okafor #NigerianArt #ContemporaryAfricanArt #BlackArt #CatLovers #art #artText #artwork #arte #BlueskyArt #NigerianArtist #CatArt

Nigeria’s #SatiricalArtist making waves on the global stage (5 pics): zorz.it/dDNCQ

#WeLoveArt #JuliusAgbaje #NigerianArtist #AfricanArt #VisualArtist #AccessARTXPrize #ARTXLagos2024 #SatiricalMasterpiece #GlobalStage

Created in 1999, “Mami Wata” revisits the Yoruba-derived and pan-African water spirit venerated across West and Central Africa and its diasporas. Artist Moyo Ogundipe, born in Ijesha-Ishu, Nigeria and later active in Denver, Colorado, merges African cosmology with Western compositional abstraction. The artist’s luminous palette and spiritual iconography recall both Ifa metaphysics and modernist dreamscapes, presenting “Mami Wata” as protector, seductress, and symbol of cultural duality. In a lush field of blue, turquoise, emerald, and coral hues, a central female figure emerges with shimmering, water-like skin tones that seem to shift between deep bronze and violet reflections. Her elongated body arcs gracefully amid aquatic symbols of fish, serpentine forms, and ripples of white light that surround her like living current. Beaded ornaments glint at her wrists; waves and sea creatures swirl around her torso in rhythmic motion. Her gaze is serene yet knowing, bridging myth and mortality. Behind her, abstract currents dissolve any horizon, creating a sense of boundless, sacred water. The painting’s layered textures invite tactile perception, capturing movement, reflection, and the pulse of oceanic breath as if we are submerged in color. She is both seductress and healer, embodying the spiritual power of water as life source and transformation. Ogundipe’s interpretation merges sacred myth with modern consciousness: rather than depict Mami Wata as a folkloric mermaid, he envisions her as an archetype of African modernity that is cosmic, self-possessed, transcendent of gender binaries, and culturally unbounded. The rhythmic layering of motifs recalls the fractal geometry of Yoruba design, while his color harmonies of cool blues offset by scarlet and gold blend ocean and human spirit. For Ogundipe, who described his art as “visual philosophy and spiritual autobiography,” this painting was a meditation on identity and belonging.

“Mami Wata” by Moyo Ogundipe (Nigerian – American) – Acrylic on canvas / 1999 – Collection of Chike Obianwu (Mami Wata: Arts for Water Spirits in Africa and its Diasporas Exhibition) #WomenInArt #art #artText #artwork #MoyoOgundipe #BlueskyArt #symbolism #NigerianArtist #NigerianArt #AcrylicArt

In “Red Veil (Not a Time to Dance),” Nigerian artist John Madu stages a moment of ascent marked by tension and symbolism. A veiled Black woman, her eyes serious, climbs a staircase with yellow treads and a wooden banister inside a vivid pink room. Draped in a striking red veil, she appears purposeful yet solitary. Above her hangs a reproduction of Henri Matisse’s Dance II (1910, Hermitage Museum), tilted to mirror the angle of the stairs. Its joyous circle of dancers, an emblem of freedom and collective harmony, is displaced here, unreachable and silent. Madu, a self-taught Lagos-born artist, blends African histories, global pop culture, and art-historical references in his vivid, layered canvases. Here, he contrasts Matisse’s vision of communal ecstasy with solitude. The subtitle, “Not a Time to Dance,” underscores the disruption: there is no hand extended to invite her into the dance. The painting becomes a metaphor for oppression, restraint, and resilience, reflecting contemporary realities in Nigeria. By inserting “Dance (II)” into his work, Madu creates dialogue across centuries. Matisse’s masterpiece, commissioned for Sergei Shchukin, was once paired with Music; both works celebrated rhythm and human vitality. The museum notes a deeper lineage: the clasped hands in William Blake’s paintings resonate in Matisse, but here, Madu leaves the hands apart, denying unity. The red veil carries layers of meaning like mourning, ritual, concealment while the climb itself suggests determination amid constraint. Painted in 2020, during a year of global upheaval, “Red Veil (Not a Time to Dance)” embodies Madu’s distinctive fusion of symbolism and critique. It offers no easy resolution. Instead, it insists on reflection, asking us to consider isolation, agency, and the unfinished struggle for freedom.

“Red Veil (Not a Time to Dance)” by
John Madu (Nigerian) - Acrylic on canvas / 2020 - Ueshima Museum (Tokyo, Japan) #WomenInArt #art #FigurativeArt #ArtText #JohnMadu #Madu #UeshimaMuseum #Ueshima #AcrylicArt #artwork #BlueskyArt #surrealism #PopSurrealism #NigerianArt #Afrofuturism #NigerianArtist

Moving King SOS · Moving · Song · 2025

The @newartistspotlight.bsky.social #Songoftheday will really get your body moving. Enjoy "Moving" by King SOS.

#iwantmynas #stoppayola #indieartist #indiemusic #unsignedartist #undergroundartist #songwriter #afrofusion #NigerianArtist

open.spotify.com/track/00sXd9...

Presave PURPOSE WITH CARLEX DON
Thank you so much
ffm.to/lnezoge.bio

#carlexdon #presave #share ##PreSaveNow #thankyouforyoursupport #Africa #Nigeria #Nigerianartist #synth #piano #guitar #drums #tincans #spotify #YouTube #video ##newmusic #newrelease #independentartist #PopMusic #MusicVideo

Ben Enwonwu, also known as Odinigwe Benedict Chukwukadibia Enwonwu, was a prominent Nigerian artist of Igbo descent who created multiple works featuring Fulani subjects, particularly in the 1940s and 1950s such as "Fulani Girl of Rupp.” Enwonwu's art often explored themes of African identity and modernism, with his Fulani works reflecting his interest in diverse ethnic groups within Nigeria as part of his broader exploration of African identity and his desire to create a modern visual language rooted in African aesthetics. His work often incorporated elements of traditional African art while embracing modernist artistic styles. The painting is a profile portrait of an unidentified dark-skinned young woman, rendered in a style that combines elements of realism and expressionism. She is shown from the chest up, in profile view, facing to our right. She wears a dark, close-fitting headwrap. Large, golden hoop earrings adorn her ears, and a striking silver ornament is visible near her right ear. Her neck is laden with numerous necklaces of varying lengths and colors composed of beads and strands in shades of purple, orange, yellow, and white, creating a rich tapestry of color against her dark skin. Some necklaces have noticeable tassels or fringes. Beneath the necklaces, a light-colored, almost white wrap is visible across her chest. The dark and muted background uses predominantly dark greens, browns, and oranges, creating a subtle sense of depth and contrast to emphasize the woman and her adornments. Enwonwu’s use of rich colors, expressive brushstrokes, and the woman's expression creates a sense of both beauty and mystery. The painting captures not just a physical likeness, but also conveys the inner strength and cultural identity of the young African woman. Enwonwu was among the first artists from the African continent to gain global visibility. In the same year (1949) as this portrait, Ebony Magazine called him “Africa’s greatest artist”.

“Fulani Girl of Rupp” by Ben Enwonwu (Nigerian) - Oil on canvas / 1949 - Hampton University Museum (Virginia) #WomenInArt #art #artwork #NigerianArt #BenEnwonwu #Enwonwu #HamptonUniversityMuseum #HamptonUniversity #PortraitofaGirl #NigerianArtist #oilpainting #Fulani #fula #beauty #BlueskyArt

In his oil painting "Hope," Nigerian artist Aina Onabolu portrays an African woman selling fruits in what might be a village market. With her head cocked and looking directly at us, she comfortably sits on a bench, under a shed alongside her covered basket which has some sample oranges she is selling displayed on the lid in stacks of four, a typical arrangement one would might see in local markets. Oranges are a well cultivated and consumed commodity nationwide. The act of selling fruits goes way back in time and is still a very common tradition among women of different ethnic groups all over Nigeria today. This scene symbolizes the hope and sustenance such trade provides. Onabolu’s mature use of color—mixing grey, rusty yellow, brown, and black—adds depth and warmth to the scene, creating a timeless snapshot of local life. Onabolu, widely regarded as the "father of modern Nigerian art," was born in Ijebu-Ode in 1882. From a young age, he demonstrated an innate talent for drawing, by copying photographs and illustrations from European magazines. At 12, he was already designing charts and visual aids for schoolteachers. Onabolu’s 1906 portrait "Mrs. Spencer Savage" is considered one of the earliest modern artworks by a Nigerian artist. He is the first Nigerian known to receive formal art education in Europe, studying at Académie Julian in Paris and later at the Royal Academy of Art in London, where he earned certificates in oil painting and fine art. His contributions to the development of art education in Nigeria were profound, and he played a key role in inviting British art educator Kenneth Murray to the country. Onabolu's influence endures, and he was posthumously inducted into the Society of Nigerian Artists (SNA) Hall of Fame in 2018.

"Hope" by Aina Onabolu (Nigerian) - Oil on board / 1947 - Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (Lagos, Nigeria) #WomenInArt #hope #NigerianArt #ArtText #art #AinaOnabolu #NigerianArtist #womensart #portraitofawoman #OilPainting #FineArt #ModernArt #artwork #YemisiShyllonMuseumofArt #Pan-AtlanticUniversity

Tems Stuns In Striking Look For Billboard Cover, Will Headline THE STAGE At SXSW London Tems continues her global takeover with a stunning feature as the cover star of Billboard magazine’s May 2025 issue. The Nigerian singer-songwriter… The post Tems Stuns In Striking Look For Billboard Cover, Will Headline THE STAGE At SXSW London appeared first on Shine My Crown.

Tems Stuns In Striking Look For Billboard Cover, Will Headline THE STAGE At SXSW London: Tems continues her global takeover with a stunning feature as the cover star of Billboard magazine’s May 2025 issue. The Nigerian singer-songwriter…… #Tems #BillboardCover #SXSW2025 #NigerianArtist #MusicNews

Olamilekan Abatan is a Nigerian visual artist who uses Hyperrealism and creative application of traditional fabrics on paper to communicate his ideas. His work goes beyond being pleasing to the eye to being euphoric to the psyche. Abatan began drawing professionally two years after graduating from college with a bachelor's degree in visual arts. Since then, he has been committed in creating works that demonstrate his appreciation for African culture and black power. He is a fashion fanatic who feels that promoting African fabrics through his works will demand some recognition for African apparel. He is one of the fastest growing Young Nigerian Hyperrealists. His most recent pieces feature faces representing Black Power and its presence, surrounded by Ankara to complete his works' Africanism. He has always been, and will continue to be, prolific in his creation of masterpieces that captivate you at the first sight. Art, according to Olamilekan, is a powerful instrument that, when used properly, can be an effective instrument.

Olamilekan Abatan (Nigerian, b. 1997) • Bloodline • c. 2021 (see ALT text)
#HappyMother'sDay #OlamilekanAbatan #NigerianArtist #art #fineart #ContemporaryArt #21stCenturyArt #MixedMediaArt

Post: Oscar Eukanuba, a Nigerian born artist, is revolutionizing hyper realism With nothing but a ballpoint pen. Each stroke creates portraits so intricate they rival high resolution photography. His work explores themes of African identity, history enough for future tourism, challenging how black faces and stories are represented in art. Every line is intentional, sometimes taking hundreds of hours to perfect a single piece you can use. Technique is far more than a display of skill. It's a statement. His ability to infuse emotion and depth into his portraits would just depend is a true testament to his mastery. In a world that moves quickly, you can use arc causes to slow down, take a closer look and appreciate the beauty in the details. How much patience would it take to create something this extraordinary share believe inspire lax be.

Post:: Oscar Eukanuba, a Nigerian born artist, is revolutionizing hyper realism With nothing but a ballpoint pen. Each stroke creates portraits so intricate they rival high resolution photography. His work explores themes of… #Allgaier #EukanubaNigerian #Nigerianartist #artistrevolutionizing

Young Jonn and Nikos create buzz; captivating chemistry 🔥🇳🇬 #YoungJonn #NikosAdeleke #NigerianArtist https://fefd.link/yFZ1d

"African Elegance" by Nigerian artist Kolade Adekunle Oshinowo is a portrait of a young dark-skinned lady in side view with her hair styled in cornrows and her neck portrayed long and slender. The rays of light around her facial features highlight both of these elements and, in turn, gives them a profound look. Shapes and patterns can be seen portrayed on the background of the painting using a color palette of shades of brown with some red, warm blue, and yellow ochre highlights. Her outlook and expression is filled with beauty, simplicity, grace, and humility typical of a young, modern, and elegant African woman. Oshinowo is a well-respected contemporary Nigerian painter and teacher born in Ibadan in 1948. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts from Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1972, majoring in painting. He was a teacher at King’s College, Lagos. In 1973, he started lecturing part-time at the Yaba College of Technology (YABATECH), Lagos. Eventually, he joined the institution full time in 1974 and would spend the next 35 years there in service, teaching and inspiring generations of talent to become great artists. From 1990, he was the chief lecturer and director, School of Art, Design & Printing, YABATECH. Oshinowo is very passionate about his profession as an artist and believes in the unique role of art for a better society. He would instill these ideals and values upon his students making them see their profession beyond illustrations, drawing, painting and sculpting. As a prolific painter, he loves exploring themes on urban life, events or activities in his surroundings, and everyday life in the larger society. He is also famous for portraiture and has executed numerous portraits of famous Nigerians as private commissions. As we see here, women are frequently a central theme in his paintings.

African Elegance by Kolade Oshinowo (Nigerian) - Oil on canvas / 2007 - Yemisi Shyllon Museum of Art (Lagos Nigeria) #womeninart #oilpainting #art #womensart #KoladeOshinowo #NigerianArtist #artwork #NigerianArt #portraitofawoman #AfricanArt #beauty #YemisiShyllonMuseumofArt #Pan-AtlanticUniversity

This wonderful stylized portrait depicts a young Nigerian woman in vibrant, patterned clothing seated on a gray floor with her hands clasped on her feet, set against a backdrop of a simple off-white wall and vines of trailing red leaves. Her skin is rendered in a cubist style, broken down into geometric shapes and patches of color – light blues, tans, creams, and browns, all blended to create a sense of depth and form. She has dark hair pulled back into a high bun decorated with yellow accents and she wears a single earring. The cubist approach to the figure's form contrasts with the folk-art feel of the clothing's decoration, creating a unique aesthetic. Nigerian visual artist REWA (Rewa Ugoji) creates work that represents and glorifies women in their numerous forms; as goddesses, as travelers and most recently, as inexorable forces behind naming rites of the Igbo culture (primarily from southeastern Nigeria). Never having received formal art training, REWA is self-taught and developed her innate talent from a very early age. Growing up, her father encouraged her creative drive, his expansive art collection from West Africa, providing further impetus for her development. She finds that her spirit is moved by what she refers to as "depicted sentience" and through the celebration of the female form and bright, vivid colors. Her preferred medium of acrylics and ink on canvas provide the immediacy, proximity and transparency to express her most personal experiences and influences living between Lagos, London and Johannesburg, cities she considers home. Her hope is that one day, my work will be included in art historical dialogue about Africa and specifically Nigeria, beyond the confines of the wide-reaching Contemporary African Art designation."

Josephine and her dress of many colors by REWA (Rewa Ugoji, Nigerian) - Acrylic and ink on canvas / 2019 - Rele Arts Foundation (Lagos, Nigeria) #womeninart #art #acrylicpainting #REWA #NigerianArt #ReleArtsFoundation #womensart #womenpaintingwomen #womanartist #femaleartist #NigerianArtist #fineart

Nigeria gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1960, and with it the country was in search of a new post-colonial identity. Ben Enwonwu became an advocate for a new Nigerian national culture and a pioneer of African modernism. By his passing in 1994, the artist was considered one of the most revered African artists of the 20th century. Enwonwu was born in 1917 in Onitsha, eastern Nigeria, to a mother who ran a textile business and a father who was a reputable sculptor, from whom the artist learned his early carving skills. By 1949, Enwonwu was declared by Time magazine as “Africa’s Greatest Artist.” Christine sits up tall and elegant with subtle emotion conveyed through her gentle smile and a sense of ease in her eyes. Her mesmeric frontal gaze, along with her torso positioned in an outward and angular manner is regal and dignified. The light takes on a luminescent character, forming a halo and giving an iridescent and angelic glow. Enwonwu’s loose brush strokes and vibrant oil captures Christine transient beauty. The portrayal of her long-neck, glowing bronze skin, curved lips and delicate smile are testament of the warmth and grace of the sitter. Her devotion and composure are conveyed in the portrait and is a testament of the trust and complicity between the artist and Christine. Christine was born in New York and moved to Ghana to reside with her stepfather in the 1920s before relocating to Lagos, Nigeria in 1969. In Lagos, Christine and her husband Elvis developed a close friendship with Enwonwu. She is depicted wearing a beautifully tied yellow gold headscarf called ‘gele’, which signifies her married status. Although Christine was not born in Lagos or Nigeria, her attire shows an affinity with the region and a deep respect for West African tradition.

Christine (Davis) by Ben Enwonwu (Nigerian) - Oil on canvas / 1971 #womeninart #portraitofawoman #art #NigerianArt #oilpainting #artwork #womensart #NigerianArtist #BenEnwonwu #beauty #fineart #portrait #gele #oiloncanvas #AfricanArt #AfricanArtist #painting #Enwonwu #bskyart #artoftheday #artbsky

Nigerian artist Oliver Enwonwu's beautiful oil on canvas depiction of a dark-skinned woman in profile blends realism with a touch of romanticism for a stunning and memorable portrait. Her gaze is directed to the left of the frame, conveying both sophistication and introspection. Against a muted and blurred background that almost glows behind her like a spotlight, her exposed shoulders and beauty convey a sense of intimacy and vulnerability while keeping our focus entirely on the subject. Enwonwu has carefully detailed the woman's alluring features. Her face is elegantly shaped, and her expression is serene and composed; almost stoic. Her skin is rich and dark, with subtle gradations of light and shadow highlighting her cheekbones and the planes of her face. The artist's close attention to the subtle shadows and highlights in her skin, make it appear soft and smooth yet rich in tone. She wears a luxuriously colored, ochre-gold headwrap (a gele) which is draped dramatically around her head depicted with deep, visible folds and shadows, giving a sense of texture. She also wears a splendid darker gold-toned fabric draped around her shoulders, and a delicate gold necklace with a small pendant. The necklace, and her small earrings, draw the eye to her neck and décolletage. With a Master’s degree in Visual Arts from the University of Lagos, Nigeria, Enwonwu is earning his PHD in African Art History at University of Benin. He comes from a long line of remarkable artists, including his sculptor grandfather and his father pioneer modernist Ben Enwonwu, In his work, Oliver elevates Black culture to challenge racial injustice and systemic racism by celebrating the cultural, political and socioeconomic achievements of Africans through an examination of African spirituality, Black identity and migration, contemporary African politics, Pan-Africanism, and the global Africa empowerment movement.

Ebony by Oliver Enwonwu (Nigerian) - Oil on canvas / 2020 - SMO Contemporary Art (Lagos, Nigeria) #womeninart #art #oilpainting #portraitofawoman #OliverEnwonwu #NigerianArtist #artwork #SMOcontemporaryart #fineart #womensart #AfricanArt #NigerianArt #portrait #beauty #ebony #ContemporaryArt #style

Akinola Lasekan was born S.A Oladetimi in Owo, Ondo State in 1916 and changed his name in 1941. He was one of the pioneers of Nigerian modernism in art who was famous for portraiture. He was a self-thought artist before his colonial art education by the then British administration in the early 20th century. He was part of the first set of students formally trained by the English art teacher, Kenneth Murray who was sent to Nigeria by the colonial education department. His career started as a textile designer with the Compagnie Française-Africaine Occidental in 1935. Between 1936 to 1940 he worked with the Church Missionary Society (CMS) Bookshop, Lagos where he created bible story illustrations and calendars. In the 1940’s, he became one of Nigeria’s first indigenous formal art educators and taught in government colleges and mission schools. In 1961, he joined the faculty of the new School of Fine Arts, now the Department of Fine and Applied Art, of the University of Nigeria Nsukka. Lasekan’s artworks capture Nigeria’s landscape, people, culture, and political climate in the 1940s and 50s. His 38-year art career brimmed with beauty, innovation, and advocacy. He utilized easel painting to express the beauty and humanity of Nigeria and its people while simultaneously attacking the British colonial system with nationalistic political cartoons. His mastery and use of these Western art forms contradicted the narrative of European superiority and African inferiority. Abike portrays a beautiful young woman, likely in her early twenties, with dark complexion, smooth skin, expressive eyes, and large gentle smile. Her hair is under a large lavender headwrap scarf. She is wearing a loose-fitting light pink top with small, bright floral and geometric patterns. Set against a muted mustard and pastel yellow background, our focus is drawn to her beauty and smiling expression as she looks off to her right.

Abike by Akinola Lasekan (Nigerian) - Pastel on paper / c. 1940s - Hampton University Museum (Virginia) #womeninart #portrait #art #pastelpainting #nigerianart #hamptonuniversity #artwork #fineart #portraitofawoman #AkinolaLasekan #nigerianartist #modernism #womensart #pastel #beauty #smile #artbsky

“An ode to feminity” (2024) exhibited earlier this year in @kelanifatai's solo exhibition “Adorned with Elegance”.


#beautifulbizarre #kelanifatai #nigerianartist #art #contemporaryart #blackisbeautiful #figurepainting #artlover

Predestined – Time (Official Music Video)
This song represents the different seasons of spiritual maturity that Predestined went through, one by one, until she decided to never turn back. #Africanartists #Nigerianartist
en.bgospel.com/predestined-...

3 cryptocurrencies under $0.10 to buy this week As the new week begins, some cryptocurrencies are better investments than others while at the low price threshold of $0.10 apiece.

#nigerian #nigerianillustrator #artist #nigerianartist #lagos #graphicillustrator #instagram #black

Celr

finbold.com/3-cryptocurr...

:) First Art here!!!!!

Show some love...

#africa #art #knowafrica #african #africanchild #kids #children #afro #june #nigeria #bookcoverdesign #bookcover #childrenbookillustrator #nigerian #nigerianillustrator #artist #nigerianartist #lagos #graphicillustrator #instagram #black