“I was born and nurtured in the heart of Lagos, and the way people live here shape my vision about the world,” artist John Madu told DW.
“The city is a vibrant mixture of cultures, and it claims a highly cultured, metropolitan middle class. This uproar and stirring, this human energy, and many subculture all affected me, even a teenager.”
Van Gag meets John Madu
The Nigerian artist is shown at an exhibition at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, titled “Title”Van Gag X John Madu: Paint Your Path,
In particular, inspired by the invitation of the museum, Madu created 10 large format paintings in his studio in just three months.
Their work attracts the museum’s collection, adding a modern West African touch to the motifs of Vincent Van Gag from the end of the 19th century. For example, a black person takes a monobalock plastic chair in the restaurant in the Perisian suburb of Asnieres, which was depicted by Van Gag in 1887. Or Madu has created a self-portrait which includes Van Gag’s “Flowering Plum Orchard” background.
“I wanted to pay my honor to the master I really praise,” Madu says.
Initial effect
He said, “Before I knew who Van Gag was, I was already a family with his works,” he says. His parents’ apartment had a calendar on the wall that featured pictures of the great Dutch artist. As a boy, Madu was imprisoned using the color of van gag – cornflower blue, wheat yellow and dark green as well as expressive brushstrokes. Hey what is drawn for trees and stars that look like a small tornado.
Madu says, “Van Gag played an important role in guiding Madu towards painting as a means of expressing his inner world:” Van Gag’s world comes to the people, allowing him to join him, “says Madu.
Madu’s father contradicts for his artistic journey. Although an artist is not a snow, he still nurtured his son’s talent. “My father was on Esthete; he had a deep splash of style and beauty,” Madu said while remembering. “He was in love with flowers and visses.”
Both Madu and Van Gag are the self-righteous artists who have developed their unique painting style.
Additionally, both were influenced by East Asian art. Van Gag’s attraction was with Japanese Woodcats, while Madu identifies as part of the “Generation Manga”. Even his French Bulldog is named Sasuk, a reference that Manga fans want to recognize.
Van Gag would undoubtedly enjoy visiting Lagos, especially to experience Yoruba art or noose sculptures, which are the oldest known art in West Africa. Thesis closed European artists in the early 19th century. “Anyone who claims that Africans had barbarism, should consider the avant-garden and fickleness of this art,” Madu says.
A ‘global citizen’
Madu has a request to its audience: “African artist” should not be called. Instead, he prefers to be referred to as “for the artist from Africa”.
Lagos -born artists identify as a global citizen. He enjoys home music and anime chain, and he accepts “a lot of money” on Nike sneakers and trendy sunglasses.
Asked if his art takes a social message, Madu reflects a special event in Nigeria known as “chanting”. The term refers to the tendency of young, educated Nigerians who leave the country. “This is a real syndrome,” Madu explains. “I won’t leave Lagos. What if Eeveryveryone leaves?” This means that Hollywood stars and Japanese stock market millionaires buy their paintings, they know where to find it.
This article was original in German.
