RETHINKING LINEARITY OF FORMS AND NIGERIAN PERSPECTIVE: A DISCOURSE ON THEORIES AND CONCEPTS OF MODERNISM IN PAINTING

Abstract

Clement Greenberg's Modernist theory influences contemporary visual arts in Africa, particularly in Nigeria. The dialectic discourse and its development are directly linked to reflective ideas in precolonial African art object or better known as ritual objects found in Africa environment, as seen in the works of early African pioneers such as Ben Enwonwu (1917—1994), Clara Etso Ugbodaga (1921—1996), Uche Okeke, Bruce Onobrakpeya, and others during the movement's formative period. These artists drew inspiration from local art objects and created modernity through the fusion that occurred as their ideas transformed. This paper reviews the process and debates its relevance in today’s art discourse. This clearly situates the story of African modernism, as told through the works of two prominent artists, as a leading force in the contemporary narrative of its emergence.