29/05/2020
The Contemporary Artists Who Build
Art A Profession In Nigeria.
Hope you think of those artist names in fine art class? Well, we definitely do because our art tutors made us read about them and their works. We devote this clause to the disseminators of visual art in Nigeria and it's progress towards turning it into a renumerative career, from painting,mosaic,tie and dye, sculpture, collage e.t.c.these wonderful artists formed a powerful bedrock to the art industry in the country.
* Aina Onabolu
Aina Onabolu was born on 13 September 1882, in the isolationist territory of Ijebu_Ode, Ogun State. He taught himself how to draw without any formal art education which proved that Africans are capable of producing academic and naturalistic paintings. But most importantly he independently initiated formal art education to Nigerian schools he laid the foundation for a younger generation artists to build on. He is suitably considered as the father of modern Nigerian art. His notable works were the Portrait of Lady Spencer Savage(1906), Portrait of Dr Oguntola Sapara(1920), Portrait of Sis Nurse (1922) e.t.c. He taught in a few top schools in Lagos; Kings' College and CMS Grammars School.
*Yusuf Adebayo Grillo
Yusuf Adebayo Grillo was born in 1934 in the Brazilian quarters of Lagos, Yusuf Grillo went on to become one of the most notable figures in Nigerian art. After studying heavily in Nigeria and UK Grillo became the Head of the Department of Art and Printing at Yaba college of Technology a post he retained for more than 25 years. Grillo's stained glass and mosaic works has been commissioned for for a number of public building including Churches, Universities, Government buildings and the Muritala Mohammed International airport.
Grillo is not an inventive painter, but as a student of Zaria school, he is among Nigeria most important artists.