Negritude and Visual Arts

Nkrumah had an economic theory not cultural. So those of us who wanted to create something, belonging to and reflecting just us, had little to inspire us but Negritude…What interested me in finding a kind of authenticity was NOT to create pure decoration but to create a language of visual forms which defined my for myself– Papa Ibra Tall

When words failed to do justice to the cultural and the spirit of Africa, Senghor gave rise to Negritude, which he defined as the “sum of the cultural values of the Black world.” Negritude then gave rise to a new school of arts namely the Ecole De Dakar which celebrated these cultural values through the medium of Arts.

Black painters poured out their feelings on a canvas.  Through these works of arts, the black souls were at complete liberty to express themselves fully. And thus painters like Papa Ibra Tall and Iba N’Diaye began to pursue an aesthetic form that was inspired by the spirit of Negritude. Through their work, they forged their identity in the face of the white men.

My project, will primarily focus on the paintings of the aforementioned painters who are the founding fathers of Ecole De Dakar. By looking at their specific series, I will aim to understand their world view and how they represent Black culture to the outside world. And most importantly how they coalesce their identity.

Through this, I will learn to appreciate how some of the silences that are difficult to articulate can be so beautifully depicted in an art form. These painting not only appeal to the eye but to the heart and mind, which allows it to open doors of imagination, letting the viewer enter the world of the painter. Most importantly, this project will allow me, and hopefully others,  to witness the beauty of the African culture that has remained untouched through all these painful years of oppression and injustices.

My endeavor will most likely take the form of a pictorial essay or a scrap book. In either case, I will try to present these painting in a form a story line shedding light on the life of the black man.