Evaluation
Whether you are considering investing in Nya′s painting(s), familiarizing yourself with his work - or perhaps analyzing a distinguished piece for scholastic purposes, it is important to examine or judge the work(s) in question carefully.
This section will help you understand the basic method one must apply when appraising or evaluating a painting or work by Nya′.
definitions and terminology
The following terms are used interchangeably throughout this discourse
• painting; artwork; work; piece
• evaluating; appraising; assessment; judging; examining
why is art evaluation important?
The principal aim of evaluating an artwork or art evaluation; art assessment or art appraisal is not simply to ascertain whether you like a particular painting or not, but to establish the innate and discernable reasons why the work appeals to you.
Following is an inventory of the key reasons why the act of critically judging, carefully examining, astutely evaluating or appraising a work by Nya′ is vitally important from an investment perspective; and a richly rewarding experience with both intrinsic and tangible benefits.
Through evaluation, you will be able to ascertain the ensuing;
a: If and why the work is an astute investment
b: If and why the work meets your aesthetic requirements
c: If and why the work appeals to your intellect and emotion
d: If and why the work augments the vision for the perceived space
e: If and why the work will increase in intrinsic and tangible value over time
f: If and why the work will enhance, augment and/or diversify an existing collection
g: If and why the work elevates the profile of the public/private space it is intended for
h: If and why the work complements the image of a museum/public collection/organization you intend to donate it to
evaluation: part a
understanding the background of the painting
To understand and appreciate a painting by Nya′, it is important to investigate the artwork's context or background. This will immensely aid you in perceiving the intention for creating the work and apprehending what was in the mind of the artist before and during the course of creating the work.
Following are background questions that are mandatory to ask in order to eruditely, intuitively and emotionally comprehend the piece as well as investigate and judge if and how the artist was able or succeeded in expressing their intention, articulating their precept and communicating their ideas.
1: what is the “word” that inspired the work?
While it is incontrovertible that every painting by Nya’ is inspired by the Word of God, it is important to comprehend that behind every verse, phrase, passage of scripture, chapter(s) or book(s) in the Bible that inspired the work, there is always a “word” responsible for initially conceiving the work or inspire its creation. This “word” can be directly from the verse, phrase, passage or chapter or a word revealed upon fervently meditating on the verse(s), passage(s) or chapter(s).
In essence, words anchor at the core of Nya’s work. Words generate the concepts, principles and values of every painting he is inspired to create. To that end, prior to studying the colors and subject matter, it is imperative to know the “word” that conceived the idea or spiritually stirred the artist to initiate the research and eventual creation of the work.
Following is a table with an inventoried list of distinguished works from his “Divine Inspiration” series and “Voices of the Earth” series and the “word”, and anchor verse, passage, chapter and book in the Bible that inspired the work:
PAINTING
Eternal letters to my Beloved
Mandate of Dominion
Tablet of Prosperity
Redeemer of Dreams
My Boathouse
Mburuchusi
Escort of Wisdom
Blueprint of Grace
Retired Composer
Genesis of Eternity
Bridge to internal Rest
The Babylonian Shepherd
Yonder of Eternal Excellency
WORD
Oppression
Restoration
ANCHOR
Aside from comprehending the journey in creating the work, from pre-conception to the finished piece, knowledge of the “word” that birthed the painting is also essential in establishing the following:
a: How the word influenced the artist’s research prior to creating the work
b: How the word influenced the artist’s thought process while creating the work
c: How the word is alluded to through distinguished elements in the composition
d: How the word influenced the artist’s intention or purpose for creating the work
e: How the precept (original meaning) of the word decided the materials employed in creating the work
2: when was the work created?
The day when Nya′ completed a painting is different from the day he conceived the “word” that inspired the creation of the work. Furthermore, the date he began creating the work is also different, though at intervals it might be in sync with the date he conceived the “word” that inspired the creation of the work.
In principle, comprehending the date(s) the artist created the work is indispensable to ascertaining the ensuing:
a: To perceive the historical undertones expressed in the painting.
b: To recognize specific artistic or cultural influences and movements in the painting.
c: To determine the maturity and relevance of the painting in comparison with the artist's earlier and other work(s).
d: To establish, appreciate and determine the quality of the painting in relation to other work(s) created in the same period.
e: To discern how the painting compares to work(s) from different artists produced in that time and place or previous period.
f: To ascertain if the subject matter is related to any social, cultural and or economic events, either local or global that were/are currently transpiring at the time of creating the painting.
3: which series does the work belong in?
Every painting by Nya′ belongs to one of the three distinct series that comprise his oeuvre – “Divine Inspiration,” “Voices of the Earth” and “Above the Horizon.” Even though anchored upon the three dimensions that establish his work - faith, vision and purpose, each series has unique traits. It is therefore vital to comprehend the distinguishing features of each series and the identifiable reasons why the painting belongs in that particular series.
series i: divine inspiration
Five distinguishable traits of work from “Divine Inspiration” series include the following:
• An abounding palette of opulent colors ranging from penetrating shades of blues, engulfing turquoises, incandescent oranges, scarlet reds, imbrued tones of alizarin crimsons and mellifluous hues of warm whites
• Canvases are rectangular in shape and are ingeniously left to float on the plane - in other words, the paintings are unframed. However, the smaller pieces, with average dimensions of 40 x 31 inches, (101.6 x 78.74 cm) are preserved behind custom glass, which is 100 percent glare free - prior to being mounted on tailor engineered aluminium or wooden frames.
• Words, in form of obscure alphabet letters, coded Scripture references, verses and numbers are primarily rendered in lowercase, except for the name(s); God; Jesus; The Holy Spirit and every allusion to Him, (always began with a capital letter)
• Work is consummated void of a comprehensive sketch or prior drawing. Therefore, aside from the graphic regularity and impeccable precision, there is a spontaneity, abiding freshness and exuberant vigor bursting through the composition.
• Surfaces are primarily coated with sand after affixing unorthodox materials and found objects that include jacket zips, suitcase handles and locks. In most cases, the materials are weaved carefully into the soul of the work thereby veiling their identity
Distinguished examples of pieces from “Divine Inspiration” series include the following:
4: which genre does the painting belong in?
Primarily for scholastic purposes, it is important to place a work(s) by Nya’ that you are appraising in its distinct category/categories or painting genres.
During the 17th century, European Academies, such as the Academy of Art in Rome, the Academy of Art in Florence, the Parisian Academie des Beaux-Arts, and the Royal Academy in London followed the rule laid down in 1669 by Professor Andre Felibien, Secretary to the French Academy, who ranked painting genres as follows;
Even though it might be arduous to place a work by Nya′ to any of these genres, distinct pieces from his oeuvre borrow elements and features from the listed categories.
For example, “Escort of Wisdom” (74 x 38 inches, 187.96 x 96.52 cm, 2004) is reminiscent of murals paintings, landscape paintings and graffiti art as evinced by the size of the pieces, the opulent palette and letters strewn across the estate of the canvas.
Escort of Wisdom
In “Progenitor of Purpose” (48 x 36 inches (121.92 x 91.44 cm, 2006), the sublime treatment of the figure and use of a highly disciplined line to highlight its key features is synonymous with altarpieces and paintings of religious icons.
Series Il, Voices of the Earth, Nya’ 2006. Courtesy of Seed Gallery, New York
Progenitor of Purpose
Placing a work in its distinct category or investigating the various painting genres the work might be associated with is important in ascertaining the following;
a: How the genres depicted in the work are echoed in other pieces from the same series
b: The influence of distinct works and artists from different art history periods noticeable in the piece
c: Compare the work with other paintings from the same series that adopt elements from the same genre
d: Elements in the work that make it unique while disassociating it with the genres it borrows elements from
e: External influences during the period the work was created that might have contributed to the artist borrowing elements from the painting genres mirrored or alluded to in the work
5: what school or movement is the painting affiliated with?
A "school" is a national group of artists united by a common style, media, subject matter or period in art history, for example, Shona sculptors in Zimbabwe, the Spanish School of German Expressionism and the Ancient Egyptian School of hieroglyphics and sculpture.
A “school” is also a local group of artists, for example, Delft School of Dutch Realism in Holland, New York Ashcan School, Ecole de Paris, Visual Art Center in Pretoria, South Africa, B.A.T school of Visual Arts, Zimbabwe.
An established aesthetic movement like baroque, neoclassicism, impressionism, fauvism, cubism, dada, surrealism and pop art is also defined as a school as well as a group of artists primarily dedicated and concerned with a distinct genre of painting, for example, the Barbizon school in France and Newlyn school in England, which both specialized in landscape painting. The Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood, founded in 1848 by William Holman Hunt among others who specialized in historical or literary-themed pictures is an example of a unique school which combined English painters, art scholars, poets, philosophers and critics.
An established art group working and experimenting in particular styles is also recognized as a “school.” Primary examples include the Der Blaue Reiter, New York school and Cobra group, Fluxus, St Ives school, both working in abstract expressionism and realism and Tengenenge sculpture group in Zimbabwe exploring various styles ranging from cubism, realism and abstract expressionism, generally known as Shona sculpture.
A “school” can also refer to a recognized specific painting method. For example, neo-impressionism or pointillism, a technique of using dots to build color and shapes founded by Georges Seurat. Socialist realism, a political style of realistic art developed in the Soviet Union that became a dominant style in other communist countries like China and Cuba is an established “school” whose influence is still visible in the work of present-day contemporary Chinese artists like Yue Minjun, Zhang Xiaoguang and Cai Guo Qiang.
Constructivism, an artistic and architectural philosophy that originated in Russia beginning in 1919 is another established school. Devoted to reflecting the modern industrial world, the school utterly rejected the idea of autonomous art in favor of art as a practice for social purposes.
De Stijl, also known as neo-plasticism was a Dutch artistic movement or school founded in 1917 for the objective of expressing a new utopian ideal of spiritual harmony and order. Its proponents advocated pure abstraction and universality by reducing the essentials of form and color. They simplified visual compositions to vertical and horizontal directions and only used primary colors, along with black and white.
For all its originality, it is preeminent to know that Nya’s work assimilates diverse modernist elements and ingeniously interweaves them into a post-modern style that meets all the progressive mainstream criteria while projecting a subjective sense of African identity.
While possessing a keenly developed Afrocentric authenticity, each painting adopts European-inflected aesthetic sophistication one can only attribute to the fact that the artist is not confined to his “African-ness,” but has extensively travelled, is well-read and is extremely knowledgeable of the existing and changing global art trends, hence a vast vocabulary to utilize in order to achieve his intentions.
The influence of modern expressionist painters like Picasso, Braque and Rothko is noticeable in Nya’s “Divine Inspiration” series, for example, in his pieces “My Boathouse” (41 x 31 inches, 104.14 x 78.74 cm, 2006) and “Yonder of Eternal Excellency.”
My Boathouse
In “Victims of Faith,” (62 x 35 inches (157.48 x 88.9 cm, 2003) the artist replicates neo-plasticism tenets of pure abstraction and focusses on the basic essentials of form and color by dividing the canvas into vertical and horizontal axis and arranging the elements on the picture field according to color, shape and size.
By ignoring traditional aesthetics and employing unorthodox materials like animal dung, sackcloth and shards of metal in his compositions, Nya’s work adopts Dadaist elements. However, unlike the informal international movement, whose aims were to offend, confront, shock and protest against the bourgeois nationalist and colonialist interests which many Dadaists believed were the root cause of World War I, Nya’s use of materials is meditative, erudite and insightful, resting on a deeper, more significant formal armature and exude an aura of spiritual connectedness.
By disassembling his subject into geometric plates that overlap and intersect at different angles in “Victims of Faith,” Nya’s work subtly echoes cubist principles of spurning the normal rules of linear perspective by reducing painted objects into components planes and geometric solids like cubes, cylinders, spheres and cones. However, as characteristic of his work, Nya′ obliterates the movement’s use of a flat plane by affixing found objects to his ground to create a tangible third dimension to his composition.
As part of the evaluation process, apprehension of the various global art movements and investigating various schools or movements that a work is associated with or adopts specific elements from is important in establishing and understanding the following;
a: The historical value of the painting
b: Elements in the work that are pure and authentic
c: Keen elements within the artist’s oeuvre that remain constant
d: How his relocation to the United States influenced his work and subject matter
e: How the artist’s oeuvre has keenly evolved and the elements within his compositions that have remained
6: where was the painting created?
Aside from establishing the date and year of completion, knowing the physical place of creation is also a vital component of the evaluation process. Distinguished works from Nya’s oeuvre were completed in his native country while a majority, especially from his “Divine Inspiration” series were completed in New York even though the ‘word’ that inspired the work might have been received in Zimbabwe.
For example, the “word” that inspired “Genesis of Gratitude” (48 x 36 inches (121,92 x 91.44 cm, 2003) was received in 2001 while the artist was visiting South Africa but the work, though it began in 2003, was fully completed in the New York winter of 2006. To that end, materials brought from Africa were later mixed with linseed oils and other synthetic hues in New York to create the textures and add heft to the intense red hues in the work.
When working in his native country, Nya′ is in constant communion with his family, friends and unadulterated economic, social and political news pertaining to the continent - whereas in Europe and America, the artist works and in absolute seclusion. As a result, works completed in Africa tend to have alacrity, a youthful zeal despite the subject matter and an unvarnished and relatable ambiance - while a work painted in his New York studio without any intermittent breaks tend to be purer, possessing a meditative tenor ascribed by the artist to providence, Grace and the serenity of splendid solitude.
For example, in “Blueprint of Grace” 74 x 27 inches, (187.96 x 68.58 cm, 2006), the subtle and gracile palette connoting the ethereal mirth and abiding peace that engulfs Man in the presence of his heavenly Father is contrary to the ebullient colors in “Butterfly Kisses,” which was completed in Zimbabwe 6 years prior.
Blueprint of Grace
In New York, the artist primarily works under artificial light and the paintings cure after a protracted period that ranges from two to six years resulting in surfaces with resplendent tones and an immutable glow that has been attributed to the effects of changing seasons and the artist method of applying color in subsequent layers. In contrast, the dry and warm weather of Africa cures a heavily textured work from “Voices of the Earth” series in less than thirteen months resulting in compositions that emit or reflect very little light.
For example, the potent and splendiferous dose of light portrayed in “Epistle of Breath” (70 x 30 inches, 182.88 x 76.02 cm, 2007) can be attested to the emollient rays of sunlight that engulf New York in the early days of spring - the season when the painting began to cure. To the contrary, the desiccated and arid atmosphere exhibited in “Spiritual Purifiers” which amplifies the subject matter is a testament to Zimbabwe’s scorching and prolonged summer heat – the period when the piece cured.
Epistle of Breath
In summary, ascertaining the country and region Nya′ created the work as an integral part of the evaluation process will help you to establish and understand the ensuing;
a: The artist’ choice and use of materials
b: The overall esthetic quality of the work
c: How the artist's intention and subject matter was influenced
d: How the culture and environment of the country influenced the artist
Upon ascertaining the place of creation, it is also important to understand the prevailing conditions exposed to the artist prior to and during the creation of the work.
For example, in the winter of 2008, Nya′ travelled to California for a skiing vacation in the prodigious mountains of Squaw valley. The breathtaking scenery comprised of a mellifluous range of mountains covered in snow and enveloped in a celestial dome that periodically ajar to pardon a warm and serene shower of light left an indelible mark in his memory. Upon his return, and after investing exorbitant hours meditating on the word “freedom,” a torrent of affluent and immediately captivating colors reminiscent of fire and cascading snow enraptured his work, “Genesis of Eternity” (72 x 30 inches, 182.88 x 76.2 cm, 2008).
Genesis of Eternity
Spanning eleven years from conception to reality, one important work that clearly depicts the eminence of understanding the prevailing conditions prior to and during the creation of a painting is “Retired Composer” (48 x 36 inches, 121.92 x 91.44 cm, 2003)
In 1994, Nya′ visited his aunt in hospital, and upon knowing that she had breast cancer, disconcerting news that sank her once vivacious spirit and contagious alacrity into a state of acute despondency and abject despair, the budding artist left the institution confounded and crestfallen. In isolation, he recorded his brewing emotions in a series of sketches completed over several months on disparate kinds of salvaged paper.
Almost nine years later, in the solitary of his New York studio, and upon hearing of his aunt’s faith in God and subsequent triumph over the enervating disease, Nya′ aptly responded by transposing the archived sketches onto a massive canvas - he ironically entitled “Retired Composer.”
Apart from Nya′, notable artists whose oeuvres reflect how their surroundings and existing conditions immensely influenced their palette and distinguished works are the American pop artist, Robert Rauschenberg. During his youth, the German-born artist was desperately poor that he stayed in his apartment and painted the quilt on his own bed, decorating it with toothpaste and fingernail polish. The iconic work, entitled “Bed” (1955) is now worth an estimated US$50 million and is one of the definitive works in the Museum of Modern Art (MoMa) in New York, USA.
Camille Pissarro, a French Impressionist and neo-impressionist painter worked outdoors and because the sun often disappeared before completing his work, he left a large number of unfinished paintings. His eagerness to capture light explains why the artist painted the same scene or motif repeatedly and why his brushwork was increasingly rapid, spontaneous and loose.
Edouard Vuillard lived with his mother for 60 years in a series of run-down apartments in Paris. As a struggling dressmaker, his mother ran her corsetiere from home giving Vuillard plenty of opportunity to observe the patterns, materials, colors and shapes of her dresses as reflected in the intricate patterned work of his paintings.
7: what was the artist’s developmental stage when the painting was created?
Nya’s early works were conceived in Africa, his mid-career paintings were created in America and his mature works to date were consummated between the two continents.
Understanding and appreciating the artist’s developmental stages is an integral part of the evaluation process; an engaging, intimate and rewarding course that is actualized through the following;
a: Carefully surveying distinguished works from the artist's formative and maturing years
b: Studying how the subject matter and artist's style has keenly evolved through the years
c: Objectively comparing key selected early works to current paintings and the piece you are evaluating
d: Assessing the level of craftsmanship exhibited in the current work and comparing it to work from the artist’s early formative and maturing years.
Artists typically ameliorate their technique while honing a distinguished style that later punctuates their oeuvre through time and practice, and to that end, Nya′ is no exception. By creating his work in two entirely different continents, it is incontrovertible that his choice and use of materials, palette, dimensions, subject matter and intention have been vastly influenced.
A meager budget and a desperate dearth of resources - from basic paint, drawing paper, canvas and pencils hugely restricted pieces from his formative years to an average size of 12 x 8 inches, (30.48 x 20.32 cm). On the contrary, the artist’s exposure to a plethora of painting materials after a highly successful exhibition two years prior to his departure to America quadrupled the dimensions of his work and improved the overall quality.
The robust energy, uncontained zeal and exuberant palette exhibited in the artist's last work before leaving his native country in 2004, “New Light, Old Windows,” is different from the strict graphic regularity, ambrosial monochromatic palette and subdued fervor that underscores a work from his maturating years “Eternal letters to my Beloved” (48 x 48 inches, 121.92 x 121.92, 2006)
Eternal Letters to My Beloved
Aside from knowing the artist’s stage of development when he created the work, it is also important to understand the prevailing circumstances that might have spurred the work during the period. For example, Nya′ received the ‘word’ that later inspired his works that depict the theme of fatherhood upon revelatory understanding that the word father is not an intrinsic title, but a unique position determined by its function and therefore consecrated in amaranthine obligations.
evaluation: part b
evaluating the actual painting
After investigating the context or background of the painting, you can begin evaluating the actual work, the following is an inventory of questions that will help you in accomplishing this task.
1: what materials were used to create the painting?
Material use is one of the most powerful, riveting and spellbinding traits in Nya’s work. In actuality, the distinctiveness of his compelling compositions rests in the unorthodox materials he ingeniously synthesizes. It is therefore mandatory that you know the materials that he employed to conceive the work you are evaluating.
Depending on the work and the series it belongs in, ensuing is a general inventory of pertinent questions that you ought to consider in regards to the artist's use of materials;
a: What are the distinguished materials in the work?
b: What do each of the materials used in the work represent?
c: How are the materials related to the subject matter and didactic message in the work?
d: Which part of Africa or the world, city and or community did the materials originate from?
e: What materials is the entire work resting on? For example, is it animal hide, masonite, steel, mud cloth, linen or canvas?
Aside from understanding the materials employed in the work - it is also important to know how each material is painstakingly preserved and securely bonded to the composition. In essence, Nya’ uses reliable, tested and modern scientific techniques and medium in order for his works to remain intact and not lose luster over time.
Animal blood and dung is one of the most important and recurring materials in the artist's oeuvre – and to that end, if the work you are evaluating contains either one or the two elements, the following questions are indispensable for the appraisal process;
a: Where in the painting is the blood and or dung located?
b: What is the name of the animal(s) the dung and blood was taken from?
c: Why did the artist use blood and or dung from that particular animal(s)?
In essence, Nya’s work is composed inherently using constituents procured from the earth. Oxblood, lamb’s blood, animal dung, tree twigs, shards of metal, found iron parts, rocks, sackcloth, seal shells and animal hide are all part of the unorthodox matter that sculpt the relief landscape of his paintings. These materials show none of the desperation to grab attention with novelty for its own sake, but rather, these natural hues salvaged from various parts of the world allude to a deeper, more significant formal armature and an aura of spiritual connectedness.
In “Mandate of Dominion” (41 x 31 inches, 104.14 x 78.74 cm, 2006) the sackcloth covering the Holy Scriptures represent the sacredness of the “Word of God” and its immortal power to remain hidden from hardened hearts while being revealed to those who revere His name and make it their sole priority to seek His Kingdom.
The materials intercourse to create compositions that are fresh, powerful, immediate, thought - provoking, challenging and compelling. The ashes, cement nails, shards of abandoned scrap metal and torn glass add tact and heft to distinguished works and the animal blood provides reds of visceral radiance unlike that of the most brilliant cadmium.
2: what is the content and subject matter in the work?
Nya’s work is established on three dimensions; faith, vision and purpose. Every painting he is inspired to create is a voyage to unearth the abstruse root of “words” in relation to the three dimensions.
Fundamentally, it is the immutable, irrevocable, imperishable and supernatural power of God’s Word that is inspired by revelation knowledge upon which his entire body of work is founded. However, the power of spoken words, written words, words invoked through images, words conveyed from generation to generation, words warehoused through oral tradition, words uttered through the world of religion, words reverberated through the world of music, words broadcasted through the world of social media and words expressed through the world of science are visually coded through color and different materials in distinguished paintings.
From the onset, it is important to understand that the work you are evaluating is not merely an act of fate, nor is it an abstract painting for abstract sake. Every detail, material, color, texture and surface is carefully chosen and with keen astuteness, deep meditation, prayer and consultation with the Spirit of truth, wisdom, excellence and understanding, they are identified, catalogued, preserved, composed and arranged. Furthermore, every painting has a definite meaning and authenticates a time, a place or event, either past, present or future.
Concisely, every painting Nya′ is inspired to create has a didactic message divinely weaved through every element in the composition. And in essence, each of his work does either of the following;
· Teach
· Transform
· Inform
· Narrate
· Lead
· Prophesy
· Prepare
· Enlighten
· Reveal
· Exalt
· Declare
· Establish
· Inspire
· Record
· Call to remembrance
· Re-discover the precept
However, seldom is a work pinned to a single message. Therefore, a painting that has a teaching message might embrace a prophetic message and also inspire and exalt.
For example, “New Light, Old Windows” (70 X 42 inches, 117.38 x 106.68 cm) declares and prophesies how the Light of God’s Word is and will penetrate through the darkness of this world system through his Kingdom citizens and bring hope, life and restoration where there is debilitation, debasement, depravity, decadence, depression and death.
Conclusively, it suffices to say that the most eminent and rewarding step in the evaluating process is discovering the meaning behind the work. It is the definitive intention or the artist’s purpose for creating the work that distinguishes it while intrinsically and tangibly adding to its value and posterity.
3: which angle should the work be viewed from?
In order to appreciate the intricate details, meritorious workmanship and exquisite virtuosity of the work you are evaluating, ascertaining the distance the artist intended the audience to view the painting from is eminent.
The recommended viewing distance for works from his “Divine Inspiration” series, which are primarily rectangular in shape and are left to float on the canvas (unframed), and with an average size 60 x 30 inches (177.8 x 76.2 cm) is 3 feet (36 inches). However, to appreciate the intricate detail and continually discover the message in the raised fonts and numbers, razor etched lines and hand stitched letters, a distance of 2 feet (24 inches) will suffice.
For works with 1 or 2 dominating colors, for example, “Epistle of Breath” and “Blueprint of Grace” the best viewing distance is from 4 feet (1.2 meters) and beyond, and the works must be mounted at least 50 inches (127 cm) from the ground.