I’ve been posting drawings with hands as expressive elements. Today a work by Prinston Nnanna appeared in my inbox. Prinston is a Brooklyn-based artist who works with charcoal, coffee, and acrylic inks. According to his website, his goal is to “depict the elegance of the Black figure at the same time as reconstructing the image in which society has painted people of colour.”
Prinston Nnanna ‘‘Invisibility Cloak’’ (Something For My Niece’s to Look After), 2020 Charcoal, acrylic, ink, gouache, glitter, clear and gloss medium on hand toned paper 69 1/2 × 44 in
Nnanna’s painting reminds of a few other paintings you might recognize. The first is Klimt’s painting “The Kiss” or “Lovers” of which the full composition is this:
…but Klimt’s painting is often cropped and saturated, so we often see it like this, which more closely resembles Nnanna’s painting:
The heads and hands appear as cut out pieces of a drawing, while the fabric is a flat geometric pattern, similar to Klimt’s.
Nnanna’s figures are separated from the monochromatic background and fabric by their smooth grey shading, tones that talk not just about skin color, but also about drawing and painting as a craft. As I’m sure you know, hands and faces take some skill to create. (We have a class or two that will teach you.) The quilt, suggestive of folkart patterns, has been all but flattened into an abstract mountain shape, upon which the pieces of the figure’s head and arms emerge. The shape upon which perch this disembodied head and arms reminds me of the portrait of Michelle Obama by Amy Sherald. In this, it is as if one of the artist’s tools was scissors.
Amy Sherald’s “Michelle Obama” (cropped)
Taking another look at the artwork, I see there is a delicate halo around the figure’s head, referencing Byzantine Madonna and child icons, and Barkley L. Hendricks’ painting Lawdy Mama from 1969. (Thank you to Suzanne Walker, the League’s Art Historian for remembering the names and references I had forgotten.)
Byzantine Madonna and child; Berlinghiero BerlinghieriBarkley L. Hendricks Lawdy Mama, 1969
Speaking of scissors, there might even be a piece of Romare Bearden’s collages in the way odd pieces peek out from the blanket.
Romare Bearden
I found Prinston has done a handsome collection of portraits. I won’t be able to post them all, but you can find them on his website.
Related Classes
Expressive Portraits starts 9/18
WTF Art History: Revenge of the Figure Painters starts 9/22
Today’s VOCABULARY Challenge: Pogonotrophy Create something in response to the word Pogonotrophy – The act of cultivating, or growing and grooming, a mustache, beard, sideburns or other facial hair. #pogonotrophy Media is always artist’s choice. You can draw, paint, collage, assemblage, or hack a furball. Post it To be eligible for prizes (yes prizes!) at the …
Day 20 of our 30 day January Challenge was Pogonotrophy: the act of cultivating, or growing and grooming, a mustache, beard, sideburns or other facial hair. I was able to shave it down to 50 pogonotrophs, without splitting hairs.
What is Casein? Casein (kay’seen) is a quick-drying, water based medium with a milk-based binding agent. Casein has the wash capabilities of watercolor, the smooth opacity of tempera and gouache, and the richer textures of oils and acrylics. Brushes dipped incasein keep their finesse, producing clear, crisp lines. Unlike oils, casein is a clean, water-soluble medium requiring …
Pictured above might be one of my favorite watercolor landscapes in the world. I was surprised to discover it was painted by a local artist, and then later, I was thrilled he was willing to meet me to chat about ideas for the new school. The award winning watercolorist William G Hook is now an instructor …
Drawing Hands: Prinston Nnanna
I’ve been posting drawings with hands as expressive elements. Today a work by Prinston Nnanna appeared in my inbox. Prinston is a Brooklyn-based artist who works with charcoal, coffee, and acrylic inks. According to his website, his goal is to “depict the elegance of the Black figure at the same time as reconstructing the image in which society has painted people of colour.”
Charcoal, acrylic, ink, gouache, glitter, clear and gloss medium on hand toned paper
69 1/2 × 44 in
Nnanna’s painting reminds of a few other paintings you might recognize. The first is Klimt’s painting “The Kiss” or “Lovers” of which the full composition is this:
…but Klimt’s painting is often cropped and saturated, so we often see it like this, which more closely resembles Nnanna’s painting:
The heads and hands appear as cut out pieces of a drawing, while the fabric is a flat geometric pattern, similar to Klimt’s.
Nnanna’s figures are separated from the monochromatic background and fabric by their smooth grey shading, tones that talk not just about skin color, but also about drawing and painting as a craft. As I’m sure you know, hands and faces take some skill to create. (We have a class or two that will teach you.) The quilt, suggestive of folkart patterns, has been all but flattened into an abstract mountain shape, upon which the pieces of the figure’s head and arms emerge. The shape upon which perch this disembodied head and arms reminds me of the portrait of Michelle Obama by Amy Sherald. In this, it is as if one of the artist’s tools was scissors.
Taking another look at the artwork, I see there is a delicate halo around the figure’s head, referencing Byzantine Madonna and child icons, and Barkley L. Hendricks’ painting Lawdy Mama from 1969. (Thank you to Suzanne Walker, the League’s Art Historian for remembering the names and references I had forgotten.)
Speaking of scissors, there might even be a piece of Romare Bearden’s collages in the way odd pieces peek out from the blanket.
I found Prinston has done a handsome collection of portraits. I won’t be able to post them all, but you can find them on his website.
Related Classes
Expressive Portraits starts 9/18
WTF Art History: Revenge of the Figure Painters starts 9/22
Head & Hands starts 9/25
Beginning Figure Drawing starts 9/30
Woodblock Portraits starts 10/19
Related Posts
Day 20: Pogonotrophy #30SAL
Today’s VOCABULARY Challenge: Pogonotrophy Create something in response to the word Pogonotrophy – The act of cultivating, or growing and grooming, a mustache, beard, sideburns or other facial hair. #pogonotrophy Media is always artist’s choice. You can draw, paint, collage, assemblage, or hack a furball. Post it To be eligible for prizes (yes prizes!) at the …
30SAL Faves: Pogonotrophy
Day 20 of our 30 day January Challenge was Pogonotrophy: the act of cultivating, or growing and grooming, a mustache, beard, sideburns or other facial hair. I was able to shave it down to 50 pogonotrophs, without splitting hairs.
How NOT to Make Casein
What is Casein? Casein (kay’seen) is a quick-drying, water based medium with a milk-based binding agent. Casein has the wash capabilities of watercolor, the smooth opacity of tempera and gouache, and the richer textures of oils and acrylics. Brushes dipped incasein keep their finesse, producing clear, crisp lines. Unlike oils, casein is a clean, water-soluble medium requiring …
William G Hook
Pictured above might be one of my favorite watercolor landscapes in the world. I was surprised to discover it was painted by a local artist, and then later, I was thrilled he was willing to meet me to chat about ideas for the new school. The award winning watercolorist William G Hook is now an instructor …