When I received the commission and the photos of the portrait I needed to paint, my brain went to the old master Jan van Eyk and his ‘Male with a Red Head Wrap’. I always loved to paint a head wrap for the shadows, the light falling onto the fabric and giving it that feeling of softness.
I adjusted the photo to the composition of the Old Master to refer to it but with an African (Nigerian) female. It is the opposite of cultural appropriation and also shows how we can embrace a different culture. The head wrap of the female is unlike the portrait painting by Jan van Eyck. The fabric has a stiffness that makes it foldable to stand up. It is like a crown.
This head wrap or in Yoruba a gele is everyday wear and de rigueur for special occasions like weddings. Whilst painting the gele, I needed to feel into the culture and the female, as I always do before and during painting through meditation. I also had to focus on the total, her face, the jewels and the dress.
The portrait shows a female in all her beauteous grace. Through it shines the feminine Goddess energy. This portrait is not only ‘just’ a portrait. It is painted for someone very dear to my heart. The smile is open, and the light flows over her face as if she is standing in the sun, the light caressing her beautiful black skin. The posture is firm, more positive than the man in the painting by Jan van Eyck. He seems grumpy, but it could be a self-portrait.
This portrait beams, the necklace lies on her breast, the earring has a movement and the dress, or Aso-Oke, has a pattern of which I do not know if it is embroidered. However, it is for a special occasion. The woman wears it with pride, embracing her culture. In all her beauteous grace, she shows her inner Goddess to the world.