Abstract
My paper examines the Mask and the Cross series by Professor Bruce Onobrakpeya the Internationally acclaimed painter and Printmaker from Nigeria. The paintings Mask and the Cross Bruce Onobrakpeya introduced the use of Nigerian traditional ideas and motifs in the interpretation and the artistic representation of Christian stories. These paintings are currently exhibited at the Smithsonian Museum of African Art in Washington D.C. U.S.A. In the 1960’s a Catholic priest came to Saint Gregory’s College Obalende Lagos and invited the artist to paint fourteen panels illustrating the passion story. The mural titled Stations of the Cross was intended for St. Paul’s Church, Ebute-Metta in Lagos, Nigeria. I discuss the artist’s use of African forms such as adire for the artwork. In this series Professor Bruce Onobrakpeya contributed to the synthesis theory of return to the roots which was prominent in Nigerian art in the 1960’s. The Artist has infused African Art into his Christian themes.
Presenters
Ufuoma OnobrakpeyaFine Art Lecturer, Fine Art Department, Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos, Nigeria, Lagos, Nigeria
Details
Presentation Type
Paper Presentation in a Themed Session
Theme
The Arts in Social, Political, and Community Life
KEYWORDS
ARTISTIC REPRESENTATION, SYNTHESIS THEORY, AFRICAN ART
