LIGHT AND LIGHTING AESTHETICS IN SELECTED CONTEMPORARY NIGERIAN PAINTINGS

Abstract

Light or lighting is a universal element that is natural, as seen in the sun, the moon, the stars and lightning. It is also man-made, as contrived in electricity, lamps, fires and even in representations of illusion by artists. As an instrument of communication and a subject of aesthetic discourse, light(ing) is usually associated with the performing arts. Not much attention is given to it as a vital component in the visual arts where it is used for modelling and projecting three-dimensionality on two-dimensional surfaces. Commonly referred to as “light and shade” or “chiaroscuro”, the artistic functions of light(ing) in some painting genres are to beautify, contrast, emphasize and solidify imagery. While acknowledging light(ing) as a major device of enhancement of art in galleries, this study examines the light(ing) phenomenon globally in artistic civilizations through selected artists and their works; with particular emphasis on some selected contemporary Nigerian paintings of artists like Kolade Oshinowo, Nike Okundaye, Tola Wewe, Abiodun Olaku, Sam Ovraiti and Edosa Ogiugo. The different aesthetic effects and spectacles achieved with the deployment of light(ing) are discussed against the backdrop of some global great masters like Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Van Gogh and some Impressionist painters. The study is library-based and involves observation and verbal interrogation of the selected paintings that have been newly typologized through light(ing) categories as: Separation, Symbolicon, Reflection, Illumination and Crystallization. The study submits that, firstly, light(ing) essentiality, in all spheres of the arts, takes different technical formulations, but that it ends ultimately with similar functionalities across cultures and civilizations. Secondly, that the new typological framework will assist an in-depth analysis of art. And thirdly, that with this light(ing) typology, the literary scopes of art research and methodology will be further enriched