THE LIGHT BULB EULOGY - describing an African Edo Woman. ART and MAN. Inseparable duo.
This photograph communicates a powerful symbiotic relationship between man and art, reflected off a rich colorful maze of tile and fabric. Indeed its artistic outlines describe images that may seem rather obvious, beneath its simplicity is a myriad of the unknown, subliminal messages to the attentive listener, revealing a reality never hidden, yet worth revealing. We shall start by analyzing the picture.
Here we see a woman, probably in her early or mid forties, standing right in front of what appears to be an art piece in the gallery, both arms down, hands locked. She is dressed in a unique, plain designed blouse with patterns that suggest a rich African cultural heritage. The colours borne on the blouse are particularly significant. The colour green depicts balance, growth and productivity. Yellow is the colour of the mind and intellect. It also depicts optimism and cheerfulness. Blue is the colour of trust, loyalty, peace and confidence. It also suggests conservatism. White is associated with light, goodness, grace and purity. It is also considered the colour of perfection. It casts a bit of awe to know that these qualities are relate with the woman in the picture, a total epitome of African beauty and strength.
A pair of glasses over her eyes indicates that she has some form of interaction with scholarship, definitely educated and possibly residing in the geography of academia. She wears a magical smile on her face that communicates hope, and particularly relevant to anyone and any situation. Her facial expression suggests peace and tranquility despite all the troubles and challenges life bears, depicted by the broken tiles on the background, an ideal message for the nations at war.
Her dark flowing hair, dark rims and dark coloured pants sync to symbolize order and uniformity, striking a unique balance with the darkened tiles on the background. She wears a quality bangle and wristwatch that not only represent class but also a consciousness of the value of time. The wedding ring locked to her fingers indicates a strong sense of marital commitment and bond which is a significant precursor of a happy home.
The background is a matrix of various intricacies, a network of broken tiles. We can make out dominant white and black colours, the latter occupying the lower half enveloping an imprecise shape made with tiles of grey and earth colours. The upper half of the background has white tiles in spread. In the horizontal middle, and just above our human subject, yellow tiles are used to create the form of a light bulb, with a couple of other ring shaped colors lined within, depicting diversity of knowledge and enlightenment.
The position of the bulb directly above her head is significant The subliminal messages in the background are extracted in relation to the subject. Here the bulb symbolizes information, light, knowledge, solidarity, benevolence which are key elements in any form of personal, community or national transformation. The white tiles are a reflection from the bulb. It goes to show the tremendous impact that our subject has made in creating a better world for everyone. The earth, the continent, the country have been plagued with darkness for so long, but in her capacity, she has shown the light, alleviated many from penury, abuse and neglect.
She stands in a place of hope, its beacon ever cast. Yes, it is not all perfect yet, and there's a great deal of work to be done, But so long as that smile stays on and the light bulb keeps shinning over head, it's only a matter of time, and the darkness will be no more.
Subject> DOREEN ZUWAIRA YUSUF
Art Credit> xxxxxxxxxx GALLERY (LOL)
Written by> VEEREAL VUNOBI