Creating works of art is not only a source of joy but also a means of finding solace for the mind. The spontaneous use of lines and colours can help an artist forget their surroundings until the piece is complete. The journey of creating a work of art, from the finished product to the response of clients and audiences, is a satisfying and pleasing experience.
Ancestral 3 is a mixed media painting series created using marker and acrylic on canvas, with a dimension of 32 by 32 inches. The series is heavily influenced by African traditional sculptural works of art, particularly those from Central Africa, which serve as the foundation of modern art.
Many artists have incorporated African aesthetics into their work, including German Expressionist painter Ernst Ludwig Kirchner of Die Brücke. He combined African aesthetics with dissonant colour tones and figural distortion to depict the anxieties of modern life.
African traditional figures often feature big heads, big eyeballs, angular limbs, and sometimes protruding stomachs and enhanced navels. These forms were particularly noticeable in the paintings of the French painter Pablo Picasso.
Amedeo Modigliani, a young member of the School of Paris and a painter and sculptor, was a key contact between the School of Paris and the Futurist artists based in his native Italy. He was unique in his adaptation of stylistic influences primarily from the Baule of the Ivory Coast, making sketches of the elongated faces of Baule masks and figures, heart-shaped and narrowing to a point at the chin beneath a small mouth placed unnaturally low on the face.
All these artists, including Kirchner, Picasso, and Modigliani, were forerunners of modern art in Europe who were influenced by African art. Ancestral 3 pays homage to African traditional art for its significant influence on modern and abstract art in the world.
