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Notes
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This work represents a close-up portrait of the tenth to thirteenth-century Benin sculpture of a priest-king, peppered with smaller images taken from photographs by Tim Page, showing American helicopters in Vietnam. The giant head displays the characteristic ribbed texture of this form of traditional African sculpture, executed in vibrant red, orange and yellow tones. The sculptural relic seems to glance beyond the air-borne activity in the foreground, gazing somewhat passively towards the viewer. The square canvas contains black shadow marks which work to frame the face. The nose and lips have a three-dimensional, sculptural quality as they cast a shadow onto the rest of the painting, accentuating their fullness of form. The painted lines are thick with some areas heavily textured with paint.
Title
Untitled 1986
Date
1986
Medium
emulsion on canvas
Measurements
H 218.4 x W 213.4 cm
Accession number
1987.21
Acquisition method
purchased, 1986
Work type
Painting
Manchester Art Gallery
Manchester Art Gallery, Mosley Street, Manchester, Greater Manchester M2 3JL England
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