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Emotan A Journal of the Arts

Published by

Department of Fine and Applied Arts

University of Benin, Benin-City, Nigeria

Volume 7 No 1 2013, pp56-78

MENTORING STRATEGY ADOPTED BY BRUCE ONOBRAKPEYA FOR

PRODUCING BUDDING ETCHERS IN NIGERIA AND TO POPULARIZE HIS ETCHING TECHNIQUES WORLD-WIDE

Dr. Ayo Elebute

IGBINEDION UNIVERSITY, OKADA ABSTRACT The mentoring strategy used by Bruce Onobrakpeya in producing

budding etchers in Nigeria is the focus of this paper. The researcher stresses that Onobrakpeya transferred the skills and methods of his etchings to the upcoming

etchers through classroom teaching and workshop experiments, and he reappraises the stylistic tendencies and techniques the budding etchers adopted him. It is

revealed that these etchers were mentored by Onobrakpeya at three fora: (a) St, Gregory‟s College at Obalende in Lagos, Nigeria; (b) Ovuomaroro Regular

Workshop Studio/Gallery at Isolo in Lagos, Nigeria and (c) Harmattan Workshop Experiments at Agbarha-Otor in Delta State, Nigeria It is concluded that the

workshop experiments serve as a significant mentoring strategy used by Onobrakpeya in producing the upcoming etchers and the workshop experiments

have popularized the etching methods within and outside Nigeria.

Key words: Mentoring strategy, Budding etchers, Workshop experiments, Classroom teaching, Etching methods

INTRODUCTION

Nigeria has a wide range of artists who work in etching techniques, but attention is mostly paid to Bruce Onobrakpeya: a renowned Nigerian master print-maker who

developed new etching method called Plastograph in 1967 during an experimental workshop organized for art teacher by a Dutch Professor of art: Ru Von Rossem in

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Osogbo, Osun State Nigeria. Onobrakpeya started the Plastograph: an epoxy-base etching technique, only with abstract images because at the workshop centre

emphasis was not placed on representational ability with most motifs, designs and symbols drawn from traditional African art, which is basically abstraction and this

new method is also hard to manipulate for achieving realism and naturalism. Since greater attention is paid to Onobrakpeya attempt to discuss etchings

produced by the upcoming etchers has not been made by art scholars; this is because he is widely seen as the exponent of epoxy-base etching methods. He has

transferred the skills and techniques of his etching to budding artists in Nigeria through teaching at St, Gregory‟s College, Obalende in Lagos and by organizing

Harmattan Workshop experiments at Agbarha-Otor his home village in the Niger Delta region since 1998. The workshop experiment is the most significant

mentoring strategy he has used in producing upcoming etchers. This informal method of training artists has strengthened the popularity of his etching techniques

in and outside Nigeria. Onobrakpeya has developed four basic techniques through the workshop experiment, these are: plastograph, in which images are engraved on epoxy resin; thermoplastograph, where images are engraved on plastic resin;

additive plastograph, in which epoxy resin that is neither engraved nor cut with acid is used and collagraphy, where scraps of papers and other odds and ends are

pasted with epoxy resin. There have been passing references to these etching methods in journals,

magazines and newspapers. The references include those of Beier (1965), Kennedy (1968), Lawal (1976), Killiam (1976), Okeke (1979), Elebute (1987), Obatala

(1987), Mofe-Damijo (1992) and Oloidi (1993). The discourses of these aforementioned scholars on the etching methods are just mere allusions to the

subject of this present study. The major objectives of the study, therefore, are (1) to discuss the mentoring strategy used by Bruce Onobrakpeya in developing budding

artists in Nigeria (2) to trace the historical and academic backgrounds of the selected etchers that were mentored by Onobrakpeya (3) to reappraise their stylistic tendencies and etching techniques and (4) to do iconographic description of their

etchings.

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK Archetypal theory was used as ideational structure for analyzing the manifest

content of the data collected from the field. Archetypal theory is generally applied to the fundamental patterns or models, which serve as prototype from which copies

are made, or from which an idea developed. Plato, as recorded by Webster (1961), proposes that the theory could be applied to ideas or forms of natural objects, held

to have been present in the divine mind prior to creation, and still existing as cognizable intellect, independent of the reality or ectypal form. More (1642) holds

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that the archetypal, which is called the intellectual world, is the very word of God, that is, the archetypal paradigm, which means the basic theory or the conceptual

framework from which scientific theories are constructed. The theory as applied to this study shows that Onobrakpeya is an archetypal artist who served as a

prototype from which many young Nigerian artists developed new ideas in etching methods. He mentored myriads of budding Nigerian artists that adopted his epoxy

and plastic-base etching techniques and he has equally influenced the artistic styles of professional artists who participated in his Harmattan workshop experiments.

METHODOLOGY

Data were collected through two basic sources: primary and secondary. The primary data were collected through Observational methods and In-Depth

Interviews (IDIs) with 46 artists and art connoisseurs. The secondary data were information gathered from books, journals, magazines, catalogues, newspapers and

the internet. The data were synthesized and interpreted using descriptive data analysis tools such as (1) biographical studies (2) iconographic descriptions and (3) cryptographic analyses. The biographical studies focused on the lives and works

of the etchers mentored by Onobrakpeya. The iconographic descriptions were used to study, describe, catalogue and make collective representation and meaning of

the etchers‟ artworks in the photographs taken. In cryptographic analyses, the symbols used by the etchers in their artworks were first encoded and later decoded

through extensive theoretical study, power of observation, inductive and deductive reasoning and vivid imagination guided by good judgment.

DATA ANALYSIS Etchers that were mentored by Bruce Onobrakpeya

Fourteen out of many etchers that were mentored by Onobrakpeya are randomly

selected for this study. All male artists with formal education in creative arts are David Dale, Tayo Quaye, Nse-Abasi Inyang, Joe Amenechi, Ufuomah Onobrakpeya, Raymond Onodje, Tunde Ogunlaiye, Rukeme Noserime, John

Onobrakpeya, Bode Olaniran, Moses Unokwah, Kunle Adeyemi, Abiodun Okemakinde and Jude Ifesiah. Of all these artists only five: Dale, Quaye, Adeyemi,

Olaniran and Unokwah are practicing the etching techniques on a regular basis. For instance, Dale, Quaye and Adeyemi have been able to purchase the intaglio

machine that they use in producing their prints professionally. Olaniran and Unokwah are still working directly under Onobrakpeya at the Ovuomaroro

workshop centre in Isolo, Lagos. The remaining nine artists produce etchings occasionally because they do not have direct access to intaglio machine; they have

to visit Onobrakpeya‟s studio before they could run the impressions of their prints.

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Most of these artists adopted plastograph, additive plastograph and collagraph methods, which are epoxy base. Only Nse–Abasi Inyang and Rukeme

Noserime adopted thermoplastograph method, which is plastic base. The first pupil of Onobrakpeya, Dale, started to produce etchings with abstract images, but

he later produced realistic images. The next generations of etchers, such as Nse-Abasi Inyang, Tayo Quaye and Tunde Ogunlaiye also print abstract images, but

occasionally they combine abstraction, stylization and naturalism. These etchers were mentored by Onobrakpeya at (a) St, Gregory‟s College, Obalende in Lagos,

Nigeria (b) Ovuomaroro Regular Workshop Centre in Isolo Lagos, Nigeria and (c) Harmattan Workshop Experiments in Agbarha-Otor, Niger Delta, Nigeria

In 1967, Onobrakpeya presented David Dale who was his only art student in St Gregory‟s College Obalende, Lagos at the time, as a lone candidate in the

whole Nigeria to sit for print-making/epoxy-base etching method in the West African School Certificate Examination after giving him intensive coaching. Dale

passed the fine–arts examination with distinction. This served as a source of inspiration for him to take up fine-art as a course at the tertiary level. Apart from David Dale, Onobrakpeya also passed the knowledge of his

epoxy-base deep-etching techniques to other students who attended St, Gregory‟s college and encouraged them to pursue a career in fine-arts afterwards. They

include Tayo Quaye, Nse-Abasi Inyang, Joe Amenechi, Ufuomah Onobrakpeya (his biological son) and Raymond Onodje. After his retirement from St, Gregory‟s

College, Lagos, in 1980, Onobrakpeya set up his Ovuomaroro regular workshop centre in Isolo, Lagos, where he had further developed his etching techniques.

He has also used the advantage of this studio practice to mentor artists who graduated from other secondary schools in Nigeria. This group of artists includes

John Onobrakpeya (his nephew), Tunde Ogunlaiye, Rukeme Noserime, Bode Olaniran and Moses Unokwah. The establishment of Harmattan workshop

experiments at Agbarha-Otor also gave him the opportunity to mentor other generations of Nigerian artists. Through these workshop experiments many professional artists in Nigeria who specialized in other art forms had the ample

opportunity to learn and adopt his etching techniques. The artists include Kunle Adeyemi, Abiodun Okemakinde and Jude Ifesiah. The latter workshop

experiments have also attracted participation of artists outside Nigeria, most especially from Republic of Benin, France and the United States of America.

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Etchers that were mentored at St; Gregory’s College: their Historical and Academic backgrounds, Works, Styles and Techniques

David Herbert Dale

He was born to a Nigerian mother and an Irish father in Kano metropolis in November 22, 1947. He started his elementary education at St, Jude‟s Primary

School, Ebute–meta, Lagos and later attended St, Gregory‟s College, Obalende, Lagos, where he was taught by Bruce Onobrakpeya. He had his tertiary education

at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria from 1967 – 1971 and specialized in illustration and graphic design.

He was a creative director at the Akrel Advertising and City Group Organization, situated at the Western House building in the heart of Lagos, up to

1984; part-time fine-arts teacher of the Faculty of Environmental Design, University of Lagos; drawing officer, Federal Ministry of Communications,

Drawing Office Division, 1967 and graphic consultant, African Architectural Technology Exhibition for FESTAC ‟77 in 1977. He founded Dale & Dale Gallery and Studio at No 52 Adebola Street in

Surulere Lagos. He had a solo exhibition at L‟Art African, Une Interessante Premiere, Cultural Centre, Agen, France in 1973. In the same year, he had an

exposition of his deep-etchings at Ori-Olokun Cultural Centre, University of Ife, Ile-Ife. He also participated in group exhibitions with the themes: “Operation

PUSH Expo „72”. PUSH Expo, Chicago USA from September 27 to October 3, 1972; “Modern African Art” at Everson Museum of Art, Syracuse, New-York

USA, October-December, 1973; “Nigerian Traditional and Contemporary Art”, Bucharest, Romania in November 1976; “Exhibition of Nigerian Contemporary

Art” , Dakar, Senegal, from November 25 to December 7, 1980; “Ausstellung Nigerianische Kunst der Gegenwart”, Bonn, Germany, in August 1982 and “Art

for VIPs” British Caledonian VIP Lounge. Gatwick Airport, London, in October, 1985. His commissions include Mural for Nigerian Pavilion at Expo‟67 in

Montreal, Canada and deep-etchings for Cheseborough Product Industries in August, 1984. He had medals in international art competitions, 1963 to 1965;

second place in Festival of the Arts in Dakar, 1965; gold and silver medals, and silver cup in international art contest, Humane Education Institute of Africa,

formerly of Dar-es-Salaam; First Class Star, Humane Education Institute of Africa, for contribution to contemporary art in Africa.

Dale‟s simple style has been traced to his pre-art school inspiration from his mentor: Bruce Onobrakpeya. “His own prints”, according to Adepegba (1995),

“are more precise but draughtsman ship, which Onobrakpeya pays little attention to is very important to him”. His works discussed in this study are in plastograph

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method and can be categorized into two stylistic groups: Early Abstraction and Later Realism. His work that represents Early Abstraction is: Leopard in the

Cornfield (1972).

Plate 1 Leopard in the Cornfield Plate 2 Leopard in a Cornfield Plate 3 Boat People

Leopard in the Cornfield (Plate1) was produced as a result of inspiration he

derived from Bruce Onobrakpeya‟s Leopard in a Cornfield (Plate 2) published in Willett (1971). In the work he depicts the leopard form against a colourful setting

of a cornfield. Onobrakpeya and Dale represent the leopard‟s body showing frontal head and a profile body. This is similar to the format of animals in the Brazilian

heraldic architectural sculpture found in the façade of most old buildings in Yoruba land, south-western Nigeria. The type of leopard depicted by the master and his

pupil resembles a large spotted animal motif of the cat family, which symbolize strength and agility in African culture. Dale‟s etching that is rendered in realism is Boat People (1982). In Boat

People, (Plate 3) he shows the tendency to represent forms and objects as they really are in their most ignoble nature. He captures the people in their literalness

and precision of details with effect of reality and taking practical view of their activities. He depicts four human figures: two women and two men, in the midst of

many loads. His artistry is shown in the fusion of bright ultramarine blue, red, orange, yellow ochre and well defined lines. He separates the boat and the people

from the water using a diagonal white line. The activities of the people inside the boat symbolize a busy moment in a contemporary rural life

Tayo Quaye

He was born to parents who hailed from Badagry. He had his elementary education in Badagry before attending St, Gregory‟s College, Obalende Lagos, where he was taught by Bruce Onobrakpeya. He also studied in Onobrakpeya‟s Ovuomaroro

studio, Lagos between 1974 and 1976 before attending Yaba College of Technology where he bagged Higher National Diploma (Painting) in 1981. He

travelled to the United States of America where he conducted workshops at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas in 1979; Pima Community College,

Tucson, Arizona in 1982; Alabama A&M University; Normal, Alabama and Howard University, Washington DC in 1985.

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In 1984, he was commissioned to do a mural deep-etching at the façade of the Nigerian Industrial Development Bank, Kaduna; In 1988, he completed a set of

etching works for Hamdala hotel in Kaduna, Kaduna state, Nigeria and he was also commissioned to decorate the front space of North-West Arkansas Bank,

Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA with his etchings. He is currently a full time studio artist based in Kaduna, Kaduna state, Nigeria.

Plate 4 Ariya Plate 5 Aro Aje

He started his etching practice in the 80s by producing stylized forms and

by the year 2008 he produced abstract images. Examples of his prints rendered in stylized and abstract forms are: Ariya –a 51.5cm x73.5cm deep-etching produced in 1983 and Aro-Aje –a 51.5cm x 73.5cm deep etching produced in1999. In the

work titled: Ariya (Plate 4) Quaye depicts stylized figures of three Yoruba drummers in frontal position. He embellishes the background of the drummers

with geometrical designs and floral patterns that are freely dispersed over a greater area of the panel and the designs are alternated probably for balance and

symmetrical effects. The motifs he had used are engraved patterns that are related to the traditional arts of the Yoruba, most importantly the tie and dye work. In the

print, Quaye had summarized the concept of Ariya, which is a fashionable name for feasts among the Yoruba.

In the work: Aro-Aje (Plate 5) Quaye depicts abstract images that look like people dyeing cloths. The dominant shape in the middle of the panel, which looks

like a cowry shell, represents the dye-pit. Round the cowry shell (the dye-pit) are abstract motifs that show geometric patterns such as chevrons, dots, semi-circle, triangles, diamonds, inter-lace, cross-hatches and zigzag lines. A floral motif

which appears among the geometric patterns is depicted to show the contribution of ornament designs to textile art. The string of cowry shell arranged by the artist

in horizontal orientation in the fore-ground represents Aje. The word: Aro, in Yoruba means blue dye or indigo, while Aje, within the context of Yoruba

currency refers to money. Tayo Quaye also uses series of lines, curves and dots to depict tiny human forms.

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Nse-Abasi Inyang He was born in Benin-City in the year 1959. He began his elementary school in the

city of Benin before moving down to Lagos. While in Lagos, he attended St; Gregory‟s College, Obalende and was taught by Bruce Onobrakpeya who later

employed him as a studio assistant at the Ovuomaroro gallery, Isolo Lagos in the late 1970s before attending Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria where he graduated in

1984 specializing in sculpture. After leaving Zaria art school he went back to Ovuomaroro gallery to learn more about studio art and to concretize the earlier

training he received in print-making under the auspices of Bruce Onobrakpeya. He taught sculpture at the Lagos State Polytechnic, Lagos before he

became a full time print-maker and painter. His early knowledge of epoxy-base etching serves as a guide to his efforts in developing an etching technique:

thermoplastograph, in which he uses plastic resin. His works discussed in this study are in thermoplastograph and additive plastograph methods. The works are:

Our Cultural Heritage and Traditional Adire Motifs. The styles used by Inyang can be divided into two groups: naturalism and abstraction. His naturalistic works rendered in thermoplastograph method is: Our Cultural Heritage; while his

abstract form rendered in additive plastograph method is Traditional Adire Motifs.

Plate 6 Our Cultural Heritage Plate 7 Traditional Adire Motifs

In the work titled: Our Cultural Heritage (Plate 6) a 40cm x50cm deep-etching (thermoplastograph) produced in 1994, Inyang shows people from diverse

cultural groups in Nigeria. He depicts the natural feelings or behaviours of these groups through their costumes and material culture. The people are depicted against the background of geometric motifs and bright colours. The work

symbolizes that aspect of Nigerian culture which is inherited, most especially the condition of one‟s birth and those things that were transmitted from ancestors or

past ages to their children. In the work: Traditional Adire Motifs (Plate 7), which is 28cmx 23cm,

Inyang shows decorative motifs common to traditional Yoruba adire. Also, he disperses geometrical patterns such as circles, dots, rectangles, star-like bands and

lines over a large area of the format. He repeats the patterns on the alternate sides for balance and symmetrical effects.

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Joe Amenechi He attended St, Gregory‟s College, Lagos where he was taught by Bruce

Onobrakpeya between 1975 and 1979. His interest in etching enabled him to secure employment at Bruce Onobrakpeya‟s Ovuomaroro gallery, Isolo Lagos

where he was exposed to print-making techniques between1982 and 1983. After acquiring enough knowledge in etching techniques, Amenechi started to make

“trips to museums, archeological centres and galleries of traditional art to study traditional techniques of Nok, Ife, Igbo-Ukwu and Benin sculptures” (Tunde

Olanipekun, 1992: 3). He also attended Yaba College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos where he

specialized in painting and obtained a Higher National Diploma in 1985. The traditional motifs such as diamond, circle, square and cross-hatches depicted on his

etchings are made to preserve African cultural heritage. He uses plastography method and also experiments with other print-making techniques such as metal foil

and metal relief. His plastography prints like other pupils of Onobrakpeya are drawn from engraving prepared from epoxy resin built on zinc plates and printed using the intaglio printing machine. His metal foil is done in a printing technique in

which foil is used for drawing the images from an engraved epoxy plate and his metal relief is painted metal foil embossed on low relief design.

His works discussed in this study are rendered in plastography method. They can be divided into two groups: Adaptations from Traditional Forms and

Combination of Naturalism and Abstraction. These works have angular and plane forms traceable to traditional wood carving, particularly, the equestrian figures and

relief works in Yoruba wood sculpture. The works also have geometric, floral and adire patterns used by Bruce Onobrakpeya. The motifs equally relate to the

traditional arts of the Yoruba tie and dye work. According to him, “the motifs in his artworks are depicted for decorative

purpose”. Most of them are incised patterns. His titles are also based on traditional themes, mythologies and ancestral images that call up the past. He also uses the African proportion found on Ife sculpture and that is exemplified by the

present day wood carvers such as Lamidi and Bisi Fakeye. The African proportion he had used differentiates his artworks from those produced by other disciples of

Bruce Onobrakpeya. His work that is adapted from traditional forms is: Warriors, while the one that combines naturalism with abstraction is titled: Aesthetic of the

African Women.

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Plate 8 Warriors Plate 9 Aesthetic of the African Women

His work titled: warriors, (Plate 8) is a deep-etching measuring 24cmx30.5cm produced in 1992. In the print, he depicts figures of two armed

soldiers in armour suits, carrying ammunitions and sitting on horse-back. The images shown in the picture symbolize Jagunjagun, which is a common motif in

Yoruba wood sculpture. The word: Jagunjagun, in Yoruba vocabulary means warrior and the Jagunjagun are usually illustrated as horse riders by traditional

artists in Yoruba land. Aesthetics of the African Women (Plate 9) is a deep-etching measuring

35.5cmx40.5cm produced in the year 1993. In it, Amenechi divides the panel into three sections with the first section showing three maidens who are parading their

African beauty: wearing waist beads, anklets and plaited hair. The second section of this panel has an African Queen wearing a crown-like headdress. The overall presentation of this Queen symbolizes an ideal African beauty. The third section

portrays younger maidens who are just striving to emulate the hairstyle of the Queen.

Ufuoma Onobrakpeya

He is a biological son of Bruce Onobrakpeya. He was born and bred in Lagos and had his secondary education at St, Gregory‟s College, Lagos where he offered fine-

arts. He was also taught by his father, Bruce Onobrakpeya. He studied visual-arts at the University of Benin, Benin-city and graduated in 1995 with B.A. (Hons)

degree, specializing in painting. He is currently a studio manager at the Ovuomaroro gallery. He has gained professional experience at his father‟s studio

since the time he was in secondary school. He has been focusing on typical social life of Benin and Hausa people living in the South - Western and Northern parts of Nigeria respectively. His figure

compositions are typified by profile and frontal position, and lack of facial details. Ufuoma Onobrakpeya‟s works that are discussed in this study are in plastography

method. The two works: Benin Chiefs and Durbar show distortion of forms. They combine both stylized forms and abstract images.

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Plate 10 Benin Chiefs Plate 11 Durbar

The Benin Chief (Plate 10) –a deep-etching measuring 35cmx45cm was produced in 1999. The artist depicts three figures that dress like chiefs from the

Benin kingdom. The three figures are given theomorphic looks. The figures, which the artist has shown in frontal position, wear cardinal‟s caps on the head and drape

in a flowing white wrapper. The figure of one of the chiefs depicted at the centre of the panel wears neck-beads, bangles and holds a fan to significantly distinguish

him from ordinary citizens. Durbar (Plate11) a deep-etching measuring 35cmx45cm was also produced

in 1999. In it, the artist depicts two images on horse-back in profile position. This durbar scene is devoid of regular pomp and pageantry common in durbar race

organized in some parts of Northern Nigeria. There are no distinctions between the forms of the horses and the patches of dark hues in the fore-ground. The inability

of the artist to distinguish between various elements has made the forms in the print to be very stiff and stationary. At the top section of the panel are decorative motifs such as band of star-like plant and Arewa signs that are associated with

Hausa/Fulani groups in Northern Nigeria.

Raymond Onodje He had his secondary education at St Gregory‟s College, Lagos where he was

introduced to the art of etching by Bruce Onobrakpeya. In the year 1994, he graduated from the University of Benin with a B.A. (Honours) degree in textile

design. His works discussed in this study are also in plastography method. They are two in number: Mother is Supreme and Masquerades. The former combines

naturalism and abstraction, while the latter is a total abstract image.

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Plate 12 Mother is Supreme Plate 13 Masquerades

Mother is Supreme (Plate 12) a deep-etching measuring 40cmx50cm was

produced in 1999. The work shows a combination of naturalism and abstraction. The colours noticeable in the work are lemon yellow, green, blue and red. These

colours are freely distributed to balance the forms and designs. The artist combines motifs of mask and snake with geometric shapes and linear decorations. The face

mask that he depicts to represent the mother‟s face is modeled to wear elaborately designed earrings and also it is made to entangle among hues of different shades,

motifs and geometric shapes. This face mask, which the artist introduces at the lower section of the panel, is made to represent a mother figure and it symbolizes

supreme position or power of women in human society. The supremantism of this face mask resembles an extreme form of cubism using very simple geometrical shape.

His Masquerades (Plate 13) a deep-etching measuring 40cmx50cm was also produced in 1999. In his attempt to conceptualize the images of masquerades, he

distorts human faces and a palm depicted in the print; using one hue of grey colour. The fiber-like materials that the artist introduces into the print strongly suggest

images of masquerades. There are discernible designs and motifs that could be interpreted as forms of masquerades. The artist shows these abstract images against

the background of dark monochromatic colour.

Etchers that were mentored at the Ovuomaroro Gallery in Isolo, Lagos: their background, works, styles and techniques

Tunde Ogunlaiye He had his secondary education at the Igbobi College, Lagos. He later studied fine

art at the University of Ife (now Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife) and specialized in graphic design in the year 1980. At the Ife art school, he was

exposed to the basic processes involved in print-making under Munio Makuchi, a renowned painter and print-maker of Japanese and American descent. He later

formalized the training he received from Makuchi under the direction and tutelage of Bruce Onobrakpeya and David Dale.

He had taught graphic art at the Federal Advanced Teachers‟ College, Kotangora between 1980 and 1981. He worked as graphic artist at Akrel

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Advertising Agency Lagos in 1981; as a visualizer at Admark Advertisng, Lagos and as an art director of Insight Communications also in Lagos. In 1981, he had

myriads of naturalistic prints in his repertoire and by the year 1991 he started to produce abstract etchings. His two works observed in this study are titled: Images

from the Past and Masquerades. They are rendered in plastography technique and can be divided into two groups: naturalistic representation of past images and pure

abstraction.

Plate 14 Images of the Past Plate 15 Masquerades

His work which shows evidence of adaptation from traditional forms is the naturalistic print titled: Images from the Past (Plate 14). It is a deep-etching

measuring 56.5cmx45.5cm produced in 1981. In this work, Ogunlaiye depicts nature without idealization or imaginative treatment of the subjects. His sources of

inspiration are Nok terracotta heads and Ife images. At the background of these images is an idyllic scene of illusionary faces surrounded by geometric and floral motifs.

His abstraction is titled: Masquerades (Plate 15). It is a deep-etching of about 25.5cmx30.6cm and it was produced in 1995. He depicts five abstract

images that are redolent of the palm fronds and raffia used in masquerading. He tries to portray a grotesque representation of disguise or concealment, which is a

long established belief, practice and custom that depicts continuity in the life of a community. The main concept behind the print, according to Ogunlaiye (1999), is

to show a social gathering of persons wearing masks to impersonate characters from history and/or legend.

Rukeme Noserime

He grew up in Warri Delta State of Nigeria, but he had his secondary education at Igbobi College, Lagos. He later took a Bachelor of Arts degree in fine-arts specializing in painting at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in 1985 and a

Master degree in African Studies specializing in visual arts at the Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan in 1990. He learnt the art of etching at the

Ovuomaroro studio in Isolo, Lagos state of Nigeria under the tutelage of Bruce Onobrakpeya. He also had a brief spell at the studio of Nse-Abasi Inyang where he

adopted the thermoplastography technique in the 1980s. He is currently an art teacher in the department of Arts and Printing, Yaba

College of Technology, Yaba, Lagos. He has done fairly well as a painter and etch-maker and has held several group and solo exhibitions in almost all the major cities

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in Nigeria. His works discussed in this study are done using thermoplastograph method and they are naturalistic. Two in numbers, they are: The Kolanuts and

Massai Women. There is no discernible difference between the two works.

Plate 16 Kolanuts Plate 17 Massai Women

The Kolanuts (Plate16) is a thermoplastograph deep-etching measuring 30cmx40cm produced in 1993. In it, Noserime shows episodic scene of people

trading in kolanuts. These kolanut dealers are depicted in a series of events embedded in a maze of lines. At the upper sections of the panel, two laborers are

shown loading kolanuts into a big lorry. At the middle section, the artist depicts people who are probably conferring for the purpose of mutual arrangement on how

to buy and sell the kolanuts. At the lower section, he shows three laborers who are setting the kolanuts in sacks before taking them to the market for sale. Massai Women (Plate 17) is a thermoplastograph deep-etching of about

30cmx40cm produced in 1995. In the print, Noserime depicts two women who dressed like the people of the highlands in Kenya and Tanzania. The two Women

are portrayed in a tangle of intricate lines and they wear ornamented bangles, neck beads and ear-rings. At the background, Noserime shows symbols and leitmotif

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drawn from Massai culture.

John Urherigho Onobrakpeya, The nephew of Bruce Onobrakpeya grew up in Kano, Kano State Nigeria. After a

brief childhood in Kano he moved to Agbarha-Otor his village in Delta State Nigeria, where he started elementary education. He later attended Baptist

Academy, Obanikoro Lagos. He acquired the knowledge of etching at his uncle‟s atelier in Isolo Lagos as an apprentice between 1979 and 1981 before he finally decided to pursue a career in fine arts. He enrolled at the Polytechnic, Ibadan

where he obtained a diploma in fine-arts in the year 1984 and he took a degree in fine-arts from the University of Benin, Benin–City in 1987. He made a first class

honours in painting. He attended the German/Nigerian workshop conducted by Bern Wolf

Dettlebach in 1989 at the National Commission for Museum and Monument, Onikan, Lagos. He is currently the Chairman/Chief Executive of Charpe

Fotographers and Creative Artists at 97, Aggrey Road, Port-Harcourt Rivers State,

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Nigeria. One of his works observed in this study is rendered in stylized forms and he uses plastograph method. The work is titled: Nomads.

Plate 18 Nomads

Nomads (Plate 18) is a deep-etching measuring 20cmx30cm

produced in 1988.The main source of inspiration for the work is the occupation of the Fulani nomadic tribes who travel about with their sheep and cattle. The

Nomads are represented by three stylized figures drawn to the knee level without flocks and herds.

Moses Unokwah He hails from Agenebode in the Etsako East Local Government area of Edo State,

Nigeria. He studied fine-arts at the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi and graduated with a National Diploma in 1987. After his National Diploma, he did an industrial

training at the Ovuomaroro studio, Isolo, Lagos. He also did his Higher National Diploma at the Federal Polytechnic, Auchi, specializing in graphic design, in the

year 1990. The artistic experience that he gained as industrial attaché at Ovuomaroro studio between 1987 and 1988 made him to take up a job as a studio

assistant under Bruce Onobrakpeya after his graduation from Auchi. As a member on the staff of the Ovuomaroro studio, Unokwah has

participated in all the workshop experiments organized by Onobrakpeya at Agbarha-Otor to update his skills in print-making techniques. He also studied

jewelry making and bronze casting processes at the workshop experiments. His works observed in this study are two and they are titled: Market Day II and A Child who Knows How to Wash His Hands Shall Feast with Elders.

Plate 19 Market Day II Plate 20 A Child who…

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Market Day II (Plate 19) was produced in 2003 using plastograph method. It measures 25.5cmx30cm and it is rendered naturalistically. Unokwah depicts scene

of a peasant woman frying and selling bean cake. The woman is shown in the middle ground of the panel, with big umbrella shading her figure from scorching

hot sun. In the print, the artist induces the effect of space through the interpenetration of forms. For example, he presents a series of geometric shapes

and hues that not only overlap one another, but which show a certain amount of light on the upper and lower parts of the panel. He uses the effect of linear

perspective to create distance by making farther images, probably those of buyers, to appear smaller.

A Child who knows how to Wash his Hands shall Feast with Elders (Plate 20) was produced in 2003 using plastograph method. It measures 50.5cmx70.5cm

and combines naturalism and abstraction. At the upper section of the panel is a human head wearing horn headdress. The human motif is depicted with two

elongated arms that are extended outward: running down the two sides of the panel to the bowl placed in-between two legs in the fore-ground where two hands are shown performing the ritual of hand cleansing. Above the bowl are abstract figures

of three elders watching the cleansing rites being performed by the structure that the artist depicts to symbolize a child. The artist derives his theme to this art piece

from the Yoruba adage that says: Bi omode ba mo owo we a ba agba jeun.

Bode Olaniran He grew up in Sokoto, Sokoto State, Nigeria. In 1988, he graduated from the fine

arts department of the Ahmadu Bello University in Zaria, specializing in painting. In 1990, he became an apprentice and later a studio assistant to Bruce

Onobrakpeya at the Ovuomaroro studio. He is a regular participant at Onobrakpeya‟s annual Harmattan workshop. His two abstract works observed in

this study: Je Ka-Fulani Bag and Egun-Nla are in plastography methods and produced in the year 1999 and 2002 respectively.

Plate 21 Jaka-Fulani Bag Plate 22 Egun Nla

Je Ka-Fulani Bag (Plate 21) is 20.5cmx30.5cm. In the print, Olaniran depicts traditional motifs and other decorative elements, which are related to the

Hausa/Fulani culture in the Northern part of Nigeria. The decorative motifs are discernible. He shows myriads of symmetrical and balanced designs that are

17

alternated on both sides of the panel. In the middle section of the panel are tiny images of lizards. According to Olaniran (2003), the reptiles found their way into

the print as mere decorative objects. Egun-Nla (Plate 22) is also 20.5cmx30.5cm. In Yoruba society, the word

Egun-Nla means chief masquerade. During egungun (Masquerade) festival in Yoruba-land, it is the chief masquerade that stays longer than other smaller

masquerades in the sacred grove. In some part of Yoruba-land, the chief masquerade comes out in alternate years so that it does not become too common.

The main duty to be performed by the Egun-Nla is propitiating on behalf of the community for purification of the land so that the members of the community can

begin a new season with a renewed hope. Olaniran depicts only the bust of the Egun-Nla and decorates it with a profusion of textile materials and raffia. The

encasing white outline round the Egun-Nla (the chief masquerade) is used to separate its form from the main background.

Etchers Mentored at the Agbarha-Otor Workshop Experiments: their background, works, styles and techniques

Kunle Adeyemi

He is from Ondo town, Ondo State of Nigeria. He had his secondary education at Independence Grammar School, Ondo (1971 - 75). He had his earliest training in

art at the Nigerian School of Printing and Graphic Arts, Oregun, Lagos between 1977 and 1979 before attending Yaba College of Technology Lagos where he

graduated in 1985 specializing in painting. He had lectured at Kano State College of Education, Kano; Federal College of Education, Osiele, Abeokuta between 1985

and 1986. He was a graphic artist with the Guardian newspaper, Lagos between 1986 and 1988. He also worked as a visualizer/illustrator at C&A prints and as the

art director of Opulence Publications between 1990 and 1993. He attended the German/Nigerian Workshop conducted by Bern Wolf Dettlebach in Lagos in 1989. He won many awards and is one of the pioneer

participants at the annual Harmattan Workshop at Agbarha-Otor. His interest in etching first took him to University of Benin where he studied print–making and

graduated in1999 at the Master‟s level. After acquiring the basic knowledge of print-making technique in lino-engraving, he participated in the deep-etching

section at the Agbarha – Otor workshop centre, in the latter part of the 1990s. He is currently a painting/print-making lecturer at the Yaba College of Technology,

Yaba Lagos. Adeyemi uses plastography technique and two of his abstract works observed in this study are The Butterfly and Paraphernalia of Royalty.

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Plate 23Butterfly Plate 24 Paraphernalia of Royalty

The Butterfly (Plate 23) a deep-etching measuring 20cmx30cm produced in 1999 is rendered in abstraction. He shows in the middle section of the

panel a well-marked heavily clotted outline of a butterfly wings. Inside the heavily clotted outline are abstract motifs of leaves and cowry shells. “The cowry shells,”

according to Adeyemi (2004), “symbolize wealth and magic”. He probably derives the symbolic image of the cowry shell from mollusc of a large genus: cypraea of

gasteropods, which were used as money and magical objects in the traditional African societies.

The work: Paraphernalia of Royalty (Plate 24) is a deep-etching that measures 25.5cmx30.5cm produced in 1999. It is rendered in abstraction. In the

work, Adeyemi does not show any discernible image of a royal person except attributes of royal office, especially those found with Benin royalty. These

attributes of royalty are the crown, perforated dagger: Eben, and sword: Ada. These objects exude spiritual aura that is enhanced by solidity of forms and assumed

royal presence. Added to the objects on the sides of the panel are flywhisks of cow–tail often found with Yoruba priests or rulers.

Abiodun Okemakinde He had his early life in the Lagos metropolis. He had his secondary education at

Eko Boys‟ High School, Lagos and later obtained a diploma in printing and graphic art from SOLNAPALY (NIG) LIMITED and J. BOLUNFE GRAPHIC

ART AND PRINTS, Lagos, in the year 1997. He also obtained a diploma in desk–top publishing at J. BOLUNFE ART AND PRINTS in 1999. He has been a pupil

of Bruce Onobrakpeya at Agbarha-Otor workshop centre since 1999. Okemakinde‟s works observed in this study are done using plastography method.

The two works are Music Melodians and Alamala.

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Plate 25 Music Melodians Plate 26 Alamala

The Music Melodians (Plate 25) a deep-etching measuring 30cmx40cm is

rendered in stylized form. It is a musical ensemble that depicts union of performers in a concerted number. The groups of musicians so combined by Okemakinde are

four in numbers and they are shown playing various Nigerian musical instruments that include flute and goje from the Northern part of Nigeria, and talking drum and

bata from Yoruba land. The two musicians that are shown beating talking drum and bata wear face masks that are typical of the Yoruba people in South-Western

Nigeria. Also, the artist depicts the music players wearing costumes consisting of several matching garments and he places their forms against the background of

colourful geometrical shapes that added overall beauty to the entire picture plane. Alamala (Plate 26) – a deep-etching measuring 30.5cmx40.5cm has

abstract image of a food vendor‟s shop. The title means “the owner of Amala: the Yoruba food prepared with yam-flour. The bold form the artist depicts round the food vendor looks like the Ifa string (Opele): diviner‟s chain that is used along

with Opon Ifa: (divination bowl), by Ifa priests in Yoruba land. The inclusion of the motif that looks like ifa string might be accidental; it is merely a decoration that

was used by the artist probably to enhance the aesthetic value of the print.

Jude Ifesiah He hails from Enugu, Enugu state in the Eastern part of Nigeria. He attended

Christ the King College, Enugu and later studied fine arts at the Institute of Management and Technology, Enugu where he obtained a Higher National

Diploma (Sculpture) in 1997. His works observed in this study are also in plastography method. They are Beware of Dogs and Memories of Calabash.

Plate 27 Beware of Dogs Plate 28 Memories of Calabashes

Beware of Dogs (Plate 27)–a deep-etching measuring 20.5cmx30.5cm is complete abstract work produced in the year 1999. The print is monochromatic in

nature and the artist uses zoomorphic motifs to explain the concept of dogs. These

20

motifs are irregular and the shapes that look like faces at the left hand corner of the panel only suggest animal forms, most especially those of dogs.

Memories of Calabash (Plate 28) –a deep-etching measuring 20.5cmx30.5cm is a complete abstract work produced in 1999. The abstract form

depicted by the artist hardly suggest scene from visual experience. The print is devoid of interpretable forms. The only exception is a shape that looks like a big

calabash carried by a seemingly human form at the centre of the print.

CONCLUSION The study reveals that most of the younger generations of Nigerian etchers are all

male artists. They were mentored by the Nigeria‟s master print-maker Bruce Onobrakpeya through his teaching at St; Gregory‟s College, Obalende Lagos and

by establishing a private Ovuomaroro regular workshop centre at Oloje Street, Isolo Lagos as well as by organizing annual Harmattan workshop experiments at

Agbarha-Otor, Delta State Nigeria. It is established that these younger etchers adopted four etching techniques: plastograph -epoxy base; thermoplastograph-plastic base; additive plastograph-epoxy base and collagraph-epoxy base.

The last two methods were introduced during the annual Harmattan workshop experiments, which started in the year 1998. The Harmattan workshop

centre is an extant avenue used by Onobrakpeya to impact on budding etchers in contemporary Nigeria. The workshop experiments organized in the centre have

strengthened the popularity of the etching methods developed by Onobrakpeya in 1967, within and outside Nigeria.

The developments during the emergence of these budding etchers not only vindicated the claim that the practitioners of etching techniques in contemporary

Nigeria mostly produce abstract images, but it also revealed the fact that some of them occasionally oscillate between naturalism, stylization and abstraction.

Despite myriads of efforts made by some of these etchers to stop producing abstract images most of the works done by them still lean heavily on abstracted forms, which seem to have derived from the workshop origin of Onobrakpeya‟s

epoxy and plastic-base etching techniques.

REFERENCES Adepegba, C.O. (1995) Nigerian Art: Its Tradition and Modern Tendencies

Ibadan: Jodad Publishers. Beier, U. (1965) “Experimental Art School”, Nigeria Magazine,

Lagos: Federal Dept of Culture, Elebute, A. (1987) “Life and Works of Bruce Onobrakpeya” BA Project,

Benin: Dept, of Creative Arts, University of Benin. Kennedy, J. (1968) “The Nigerian Artists”, Nigeria Magazine, Lagos:

21

Federal Dept of Culture, No 96 Killiam, D (1976) “Bruce Onobrakpeya: Nigerian Ikon in Black Orpheus”,

Nigeria Magazine Lagos: Federal Dept of Culture, No. 20:30 Lawal,B (1976) “The Mythical Realism of Bruce Onobrakpeya” Nigeria

Magazine Lagos: Federal Dept of Culture No 120:75 Mofe-Damijo, R. (1992) a review of “David Dale H Renowned Nigerian

Artist and Print-maker” in Exhibition Catalogue, Lagos: Italian Embassy,

More, H. (1642) “Theory of Archetypal”, Documented by The Hutchinson Dictionary of the Arts, Oxford: Helicon

Publishing Ltd, 1994 Obatala, J.K. (1987) “African Art: Three Faces of the Future”, Nigerian

Observer, Benin: Bendel State Publishing Corporation September 24 C10.

Okeke,U,(1979) “History of Modern Nigerian Art”, Nigeria Magazine, Lagos: Federal Dept of Culture No 125-129:64 Olanipekun,T. (1992) “Romance with Ancestral Images” Exhibition

Catalogue Lagos: Talos Publishers Olaniran, B. (2003) Interview with Researcher, Lagos:

Ovuomaroro Studio, Isolo, Lagos . Oloidi, O. (1993) “Modern Nigerian Art: Artistic Vitalization through varied

Stylization”, New Current ’93 Avant-garde, Nigerian Art Exhibition Catalogue Lagos: NGA, Iganmu.

Webster N. (1961) Third New International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged, London: G. Bell & Sons

Ltd. Willett, F. (1971) African Art, London: Thames and Hudson

22

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Mentoring strategy adopted by Bruce Onobrakpeya for producing budding etchers in Nigeria and to

popularize his etching techniques world-wide / Ayo Elebute

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Object Details

Author: Elebute, Ayo

Smithsonian Libraries African Art Index Project DSI

Subject: Onobrakpeya, Bruce 1932-, Dale, David H (David Herbert) 1947-, Quaye, Tayo Tekovi 1954-

Amenechi, Joe 1961-, Onobrakpeya, Ufuoma 1971-, Ogunlaiye, Babatunde 1956-, Unokwah, Moses

1961-, Adeyemi, Kunle 1959-, Inyang, Nse-Abasi Mbong 1959-, Onodje, Raymond 1965-, Noserime,

Rukeme, Olaniran, Bode 1961-, Onobrakpeya, John, Okemakinde, Abiodun 1971-, Ifesieh, Jude 1970-

Color illustrations. Abstract, page 56.

AFAINDEX5

2013

Call number

NX589.6.N5 E46

Type

Articles

Place

Nigeria

Smithsonian Libraries

Topic

Printmakers

23

Prints, Nigerian

Etching--Study and teaching

Record ID

siris_sil_1068558

Usage of Metadata (Object Detail Text)

Usage conditions apply

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