African Artists and Drawing

Visual literacy is a visual communication process. It is a set of abilities that enables an individual to effectively find, interpret, evaluate, use, and create images and visual information in ways that advance thinking, decision making, communication, and learning. A visually literate individual is both a critical consumer of visual messages and a competent creator of same.

Drawing using pencil on paper is the easiest and most affordable way to create images and communicate visual information, which is the key component of visual literacy.

This article provides you with information to learn about African fine artists who had or currently making great impact using their drawings, short biography and quotes to create awareness and motivate learners about drawings and fine art in general. This cut across modern and contemporary artistic environment on the Continent from older to younger artists, with their unique styles and philosophical approach to their arts. They are outstanding artists whose works and influence still dominates the art stage.


Some quotes of the selected artists
• Any visual artist who cannot draw is really for me not a visual artist.
- Uche Okeke
Source: https://africa.si.edu/exhibits/uche.htm

• Young artists in a new nation that is what we are! We must grow with the new Nigeria and work to satisfy her traditional love for art or perish with our colonial past.
- Uche Okeke, from the "Zaria Art Society Manifesto," Natural Synthesis, 1960
Source: https://www.khanacademy.org

• An obstacle I overcame was the challenge of earning my livelihood, solely, on the income generated from my art. Eventually, though, I mastered the art of staying steady and balanced on the raging and wildly-bucking bull of survival. I discovered early that my art was my bargaining power. So, I pursued a uniqueness of it.
- Abiodun Olaku
Source: https://www.atlassociety.org

• When we teach drawing, we are actually teaching the student to ‘see’.
- Kolade Oshiniwo

• Drawing is the basis of all pictorial representation, the beginning of most art activities.
- Kolade Oshiniwo
• Line is an important means of expression and an essential and irreplaceable component of my work.
- Kolade Oshinowo

• The initial problem I had with drawing has to do with the attitude of seeing drawings just as a means to end, but rather as a preliminary to a bigger painting or sculpture.
- Kolade Oshinowo

• Let’s keep drawing alive!
- Kolade Oshinowo
Source: Memories (2008). Catalogue of an exhibition of drawings 1970-2007
by Kolade Oshinowo

• 1 Odun Orimolade, PhD painter, trans-disciplinary artist and art educator


• 2 Kolade Oshinowo Painter and Art Educator


• 3 Adeola Balogun (sculptor and art educator)


• 4 Abiodun Olaku (Painter)


• 5 Jerry Buhari (Painter and Professor of Fine Art)


• 6 Ben Onuorah (Fine Artist, Programmer and Educational Technologist)


• 7 Uche Okeke (1933-2016) illustrator, painter, sculptor and art professor


• 8 Bruce Onobrakpeya (1932-) printmaker, painter, sculptor and art educator

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