Jerry Buhari
Nigeria, born in 1959
Death of a Leaf
1995
Enamel and acrylic on canvas, 84 x 120 cm.
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By painting the dead leaf in black paint, Buhari comments on the oil spillage in the Niger Delta and the horrific impact it is making on the landscape in Africa. The vibrant colors of red, orange, and yellow depict a natural landscape; a landscape that is alive and not dead. Grey streaks of paint separate the leaf from the landscape, further emphasizing the death of the leaf. Black paint trickles from the bottom of the leaf, demonstrating the deterioration of nature. At the top of the canvas is a colorful orange and yellow sun crossed out with black paint, meant to show the sun can’t save our environment because only we can.
Julio Palencia ’20
Bibliography
Agenda Art. “Africanartagenda.” African Art Agenda. February 04, 2015. Accessed April 24, 2019. https://africanartagenda.tumblr.com/post/110065062629/jerry-buhari-country-nigeria-style-abstract.
Presents the various paintings (abstract expressionism) produced by Jerry Buhari.
Odobo, Eva and Anikpe, Ekene. “Engaging the Mundane: The Art of Jerry Buhari, Kuti Usman, Uche Onyishi and George Osodi on the Environmental Question.” Arts and Design Studies 24 (2014): 8-14.
Eva Odobo and Ekene Anikpe write about Nigerian artists, Jerry Buhari, Kuti Usman, Uche Onyishi, and George Osodi, and the role their artwork plays in commenting about global warming and other environmental issues.