What is Chief Aina Onabolu known for? Aina Onabolu (1882–1963) was a pioneering Nigerian modern arts teacher and painter who was an important figure in the introduction of arts into the curriculum of secondary schools in the country. Click to see full answer.
Who is Aina Onabolu?
Aina Onabolu (1882 – 1963) was a pioneering Nigerian modern arts teacher and painter who was an important figure in the introduction of arts into the curriculum of secondary schools in the country. He promoted the drawing of environmental forms in a verisimilitudinous style and was known for his early modern work in portraiture.
What is the story of Onabolu?
In Onabolu, Randle found a protégé whose seemingly natural talents demonstrate Randle’s beliefs of the potential of African intellect and capacity for sovereign rule. Onabolu completed his high school education in 1899 and, the following year, he got a job with the Marine Department of the Customs Office in Lagos.
How did Aina Onabolu learn drawing?
In primary school, Aina Onabolu was known as J. Aina Roberts. Early 1890s, Onabolu discovered photographs and illustrations in European magazines and books. He was captivated and started learning to draw by copying illustrations in foreign textbooks and newspapers.
What can we learn from Onabolu’s work?
[Onabolu’s work is] clear, marvelous vindication of our struggle—a manifestation of our much repeated feelings that Africans are capable politically, intellectually and creatively.
Who is the first painter in Nigeria?
Aina OnaboluAina Onabolu (1882 – 1963) was a pioneering Nigerian modern arts teacher and painter who was an important figure in the introduction of arts into the curriculum of secondary schools in the country....Aina OnaboluBorn1882 Ijebu-OdeNationalityNigerianKnown forPortraitureNotable workPortrait of Lady Spencer Savage4 more rows
How did Aina Onabolu contribute to the development of art in Nigeria?
The development of modern Nigerian art can be attributed to Aina Onabolu (1882–1963), who by teaching himself to draw without any formal art education proved that Africans are capable of producing academic and naturalistic paintings, contrary to general misconceptions at the time.
Who is the father of arts in Africa?
Ben EnwonwuDied5 February 1994 (aged 76) Ikoyi, Lagos, NigeriaEducationGoldsmiths College, Government College, Ibadan, Government College Umuahia, Slade School of Fine Arts, & University CollegeKnown forPainter and sculptorMovementModern African art3 more rows
Who introduced art into school system in Nigeria?
Two names - Onabolu Aina and K. C. Murray - played very important roles in establishing art education in Nigeria and the history of the subject at its early inception in the schools centres round their individual and collective efforts - (1923 - 1930).
What is the work of Aina Onabolu?
Aina Onabolu was a pioneering Nigerian modern arts teacher and painter who was an important figure in the introduction of arts into the curriculum of secondary schools in the country. He promoted the drawing of environmental forms in a verisimilitudinous style and was known for his early modern work in portraiture.
Who is the pioneer of art in Nigeria?
Akinola Lasekan: Pioneer of Modern Nigerian Art - ArtWa.
When did Aina Onabolu died?
1963Aina Onabolu / Date of death
Where did Aina Onabolu study?
Académie JulianAina Onabolu / EducationThe Académie Julian was a private art school for painting and sculpture founded in Paris, France, in 1867 by French painter and teacher Rodolphe Julian that was active from 1868 through 1968. Wikipedia
Who's the first artist in the world?
NeanderthalMore than 65,000 years ago, a Neanderthal reached out and made strokes in red ochre on the wall of a cave, and in doing so, became the first known artist on Earth, scientists claim.
Is Aina Onabolu a contemporary artist?
Article. Born on 13 September 1882 in Ijebu-Ode, Aina Onabolu was the pioneer of Nigerian Modern Art. He occasioned a radical revolution that facilitated the inclusion of arts scholarship into the curriculum of colonial Nigeria in the 1920s.
Who is the father of art?
Giorgio Vasari has been variously called the father of art history, the inventor of artistic biography, and the author of “the Bible of the Italian Renaissance”—a little book called The Lives of the Artists.
How did Nigerian school art start?
"Art was officially introduced in 1922, after of over six decades of informal and formal Western primary education in Nigeria, and by a black man, Aina Onabolu, for that matter, and not by a European." The latter, Professor Oloidi believes, was the proof of how inferior and irrelevant art was deemed by the colonials.
Who is the father of arts?
Giorgio Vasari has been variously called the father of art history, the inventor of artistic biography, and the author of “the Bible of the Italian Renaissance”—a little book called The Lives of the Artists.
Who is the father of modern Nigeria?
Nnamdi AzikiweThe Right Honourable Nnamdi Azikiwe P.C.Preceded byEyo ItaSucceeded byMichael OkparaPersonal detailsBorn16 November 1904 Zungeru, Northern Nigeria Protectorate26 more rows
How did art start in Nigerian schools?
"Art was officially introduced in 1922, after of over six decades of informal and formal Western primary education in Nigeria, and by a black man, Aina Onabolu, for that matter, and not by a European." The latter, Professor Oloidi believes, was the proof of how inferior and irrelevant art was deemed by the colonials.
What is Igbo Ukwu art?
"The inhabitants of Igbo-Ukwu had a metalworking art that flourished as early as the ninth century. Three sites have been excavated, revealing hundreds of ritual vessels and regalia castings of bronze or leaded bronze that are among the most inventive and technically accomplished bronzes ever made.
Who is Onabolu best remembered for?
One of Onabolu’s noteworthy early commissions is the portrait of Dr Oguntola Sapara (1920), a medical pioneer who is best remembered for his campaign against secret societies that were spreading smallpox in Epe. The composition of this watercolour is somewhat similar to that of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa (1503-06).
Who was Onabolu in 1920?
The newspaper, The Nigerian Pioneer, in an article on the exhibition on 9 April 1920 referred to him as J. Aina Roberts, but stated that he recently changed his name to Onabolu.
What is the name of the Onabolu family?
It seemed that the Onabolu family changed its surname to Roberts, at some point. In primary school, Aina Onabolu was known as J. Aina Roberts. Early 1890s, Onabolu discovered photographs and illustrations in European magazines and books.
What did Onabolu do in his free time?
He continued perfecting his artistic skills in his free time.
How old was Onabolu when he started drawing?
He was captivated and started learning to draw by copying illustrations in foreign textbooks and newspapers. By 1894, at 12 years old, Onabolu had become a competent illustrator who designed charts and visual aids for school teachers.
What is Onabolu's influence on Randle?
Living with Randle, Onabolu is exposed to the political activities of Randle and his associates, and is influenced by Randle’s anti-colonial leanings. In Onabolu, Randle found a protégé whose seemingly natural talents demonstrate Randle’s beliefs of the potential of African intellect and capacity for sovereign rule.
When did Onabolu start teaching art?
Onabolu started his campaign to introduce art education to schools in Lagos around 1915. Although his application to teach art (without remuneration) was rejected by the colonial administrators, he started teaching what he called ‘new art’ to the children around him and unofficially in the few mission schools that allowed him. This was how he came to teach 12-year-old Nnamdi Azikwe in 1916. He later realized his application had a better chance of being approved if he had formal art training or a certificate in art and he started working towards this.
National Museum of African Art - Smithsonian Institution
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Aina Onabolu
Widely considered the pioneer of modern art in Nigeria, Aina Onabolu was primarily a portrait painter who played a critical role in establishing an arts education in the country. Born to successful merchant parents, Onabolu began painting at the age of twelve.
What was Onabolu's most famous work?
Onabolu's major art works were portraits. His portrait of Mrs Spencer Savage in 1906 is sometimes credited as one of the earliest outstanding work of art that used a western and modern style and technique. Another major work of his was the portrait of Mr Randle.
What is Onabolu's philosophy?
“Aina Onabolu is credited for his philosophical belief that art as a universal human language goes beyond ethnic and cultural barriers. Art appreciation transcends national boundaries, race, colour, tribe and cultures. Every art conscious person appreciates quality artistic illustration irrespective of its origin or what it represents. It is therefore no wonder that people spend hugely in collecting different forms of art from different parts of the world. Art therefore, whether plastic or performing, have come to form the core of identification and expression for many people of different nationalities”. OKEY OBIOZO (July 2013)
Who was the first Nigerian artist?
Chief Aina Onabolu was the first Nigerian artist and he had no formal training in art at the beginning of his career. He was born in Ijebu-Ode in 1882. His father was a successful merchant and his mother was also a trader. Adedoyin,O.Y. (2016) He started painting at the early age of 12, inspired by the cheap re-produced illustrations of Western arts which were prominent in many Nigerian magazines and religious books. By the age of 32, he was able to exhibit his own works and was quite popular as a knowledgeable and skilled artist. He later travelled abroad to study art at Académie Julian in Paris and at a school in London; before his sojourn abroad, he was already a competent and self-taught draftsman. He completed his studies with a diploma in fine arts and a teacher's certificate from St. John Woods College, London in 1922.
