DEVELOPMENT OF SHERE VILLAGE FORMS IN PAINTING: A TRANSFORMATION FROM REALISM TO MINIMALISM

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Author

Presented To

Department of Environmental Design

ABSTRACT
Some aspect of art which has gained importance as a means of expression by artists over time is landscape painting. The presence of the natural and man-made features on Shere village informed the researcher to explore the possibility of developing and expressing these forms in an artistic language. Shere village landscape comprises of many natural and man-made land forms such as hills, mountains, rocky mountains, valleys, gouges, shrubs, rocks, rivers, ponds, gullies, cliffs, man-made dumps, lakes, the atmosphere, and of course the sky. The researcher was influenced by this event in nature. The motifs and forms on the Shere village landscape provided an artistic point of departure in painting. This study focuses on Minimalism as a means of expression. The exploration of landforms generally has been undertaken by various artists in Nigeria and other parts of the world. The researcher however, is not aware of any record of painting using forms from Shere landscape. The theory adapted for this research was minimalism. Minimal art was developed in the late 1950s and 1960s in the United States of America mainly as a reaction to abstract expressionism. Minimalism defines a simplification of forms in artwork and design. The review examined written literature and works done by artists on minimalist paintings especially landscapes and how they were rendered by minimalist artists, such as Kandinsky, Matisse, Klee, and Buhari. The review also validates the minimalist style by entrenching its philosophy. Collection of data was done by the means of study drawings and sketches from selected sites. Photographs were also used. These selected land forms and sites were developed and translated into minimalist paintings from their realistic state. This study was categorized into three (3) major stages; representational, developmental and abstract stages (i.e. minimalism). Twenty two (22) works were executed in the course of this research, presented and analyzed; they can be viewed in the plates provided. The findings reveal that there were unlimited forms to explore. In addition, a variety of colours could be explored which created interest. As a major contribution to knowledge the research serves as a document for posterity, a catalyst and source of inspiration to Nigerian artists to engage in paintings of their rich indigenous environments