Art: Ibeabuchi Ananaba Evocative Paintings

Ibeabuchi Ananaba [Nigeria]

[Image credit: ‘Twist n Turn’ – Ibeabuchi Ananaba]

I have spent the past few months reconnecting with my creative self; using the summer to indulge in strolls along the Southbank taking in the various open-air exhibitions, going to the theatre and visiting galleries. Speaking of the latter I visited the National Portrait Gallery recently, a place I’ve always wanted to go but somehow over the years never made it through the doors; I can’t work out why considering how often I’ve been to others like the Tate. Portraiture fascinates me; the way an artist can capture a person’s likeness with various mediums, and getting to view portraits from the 16th century onwards was a slightly surreal experience; one I got totally immersed in. It’s incredible rapidly viewing the passing of time laid out before you; for the most part, I had to keep reminding myself as I moved from room to room that these were real people who existed in another time. I was however forced to abandon my viewing as after several hours my eyes were hurting, my brain overloaded and my ankles were killing me, but have planned round two to complete the contemporary portraiture section in the coming week.

There is something special about a painted portrait; today it’s so easy to snap loads of images that just get stored on your computer without being printed to display. I guess the fact that you can capture images and view them instantly takes away the anticipation you used to feel when having to wait for the film to be developed… or maybe it’s just me showing my age! It is perhaps with this sentiment in mind that I am inextricably drawn to the work of Nigerian painter Ibeabuchi Ananaba. I came across Ibeabuchi’s hauntingly beautiful work whilst browsing the African Digital Art’s website and following through to the Lagos-based Painter’s blog, found that two of his collections resonate with me – ‘Victors or Victims’ and ‘Fluid Expressions’. Starting out as a Fashion Illustrator Ibeabuchi’s work spans drawings and paintings using subjects drawn from everyday life. Focusing on the face through different emotions, ‘Victors or Victims’ is a series intended to be a thought-provoking study into how the last decade has impacted on people, how it has shaped identities. ‘Victors or Victims’ invites the viewer to formulate their own opinion of what they see.

'Victors or Victims' Watercolour - Ibeabuchi Ananaba

[Image credits: ‘Victors or Victims’ Watercolour – Ibeabuchi Ananaba]

Rendered mainly in watercolour Ibeabuchi’s evocative work is full of sensitivity; the beauty of watercolour being that it allows the artist to build layer upon layer of colour giving the work depth and a transparent, luminous quality. Due to the watery colours bleeding into each other, watercolour is known to be unpredictable and therefore I think harder to control than say pastels or oil paint, which can be blended more easily on the canvas reworking any mistakes. The colours used are heart-warming and generate a sense of dynamic energy. This style is a continuation of the wonderfully vibrant ‘Fluid Expressions’ collection, which draws you into the lives of the subjects portrayed. The dripping nature, letting the colour run down the canvas is intentional and connected to the theme of the ‘face’; I interpret them as tears of joy or tears of sorrow, bringing to life Ibeabuchi’s desire to represent the happy or painful expressions people display at any given time, delightfully captured by Ibeabuchi as a slice of everyday life in all its beauty and joyfulness, as well as the flip side of unhappiness and heartache.

[Image credit: top, ‘Dear Sweetheart’; centre, ‘Good ol’ days’; bottom, Ouch! – Ibeabuchi Ananaba]

If you have kids can you imagine how precious it would be to capture a moment in time through a commissioned painted portrait, using your walls as your own personal gallery to show them off; or how about two lovers, be it love just blooming or an elderly couple celebrating a lifetime together? Ibeabuchi’s style just lends itself beautifully to such subjects, given the tenderness that radiates from the finished paintings.