A List
3/5/01

NIGERIAN ARTIST TO GIVE LECTURE AT SLU

CANTON -- Nigerian printmaker Bruce Onobrakpeya, one of the 
foremost contemporary African artists, will give a lecture on his 
work, titled "African Art and My Experience,"  on Wednesday, 
March 7, at 4:30 p.m. in Room 123 of the Griffiths Arts Center 
at St. Lawrence University. The event is open to the public, free 
of charge.
	Called "Nigeria's best-documented artist," Onobrakpeya 
belongs to the first generation of contemporary artists graduating 
from the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology (NCAST, 
presently known as Ahmadu Bello University). Onobrakpeya's training 
was based on the Western illusionistic tradition of representational 
art. However, many of his artworks do not reflect his training in 
Western aesthetics. Instead, they  portray stylistic elements and 
compositions that mirror traditional African figural sculpture and 
decorative arts. He also draws inspiration from the Bible and his 
Christian faith. Several of Onobrakpeya's murals and illustrations 
have been commissioned by religious institutions throughout the world. 
	In 1964 Onobrakpeya helped to organize the Society of Nigerian 
Artists. Onobrakpeya's oeuvre can be grouped into several broad 
categories: representations of everyday activities; cataloguing of 
social activities and scenes inspired by religious and mythological 
ideas, and abstract experiments. In addition, he is a technical 
innovator in the field of printmaking.

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