Archetypal symbols of ‘tradition’ in ‘modernity’: revisiting the works of the independence decade in modern Nigerian art

Abstract

It is instructive that scholars such as William Fagg (1963), Kenneth Murray (1943) and Ulli Beier (1961) had in their different publications expressed the opinion that considered or portrayed modern African art not sufficiently African. Although quite historical vestiges, rather than contemporary reference points, these notions had since, to a great extent, influenced the way many view the works of modern African artists. Their assessments of modern African art seem to have discarded any continuity that could have emerged from hybrid stylistic mutations. They would have preferred to see stereotypical ancient forms, to give credence to their advertised stylistic rigidity of African art (Egonwa, 2005). This article examines artworks by selected college-trained Nigerian artists to show their relatedness to hybridized Nigerian (African) tradition and culture. The article uses the Iconographic and Stylistic Analytic methods under the auspices of the object-centred approach. Modern Nigerian (African) artists use diverse techniques and media that have ancestry from Africa and Europe in their works (Ikpakronyi, 2009). Their artworks are vibrant and rich with traditional symbols, motifs and patterns. There is an evolution in the form and content of modern Nigerian art which is cognizant of global developments while not completely rejecting local heritage. This means therefore, that what is erroneously seen as alienation is actually synthesized mannerism of adored traditional creative values with the state-of-the-art development in art making worldwide. As a consequence, anything contrary to the foregoing, rules out the dynamism in African art.