Painting in Oils’ – Refinement of Skill and Personal Style through the Study of Birds. Analysis of the Work of Zephania Lukamba, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya
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Date
2023
Authors
Wango, Kamau
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
EANSO
Abstract
The gradual acquisition and constant refinement of artistic skills in whatever genre
of art are important for the ultimate development of personal styles that enable
artists and students alike to fully engage in their artistic endeavours. The
development of personal style in painting is particularly important in this regard
and it is inextricably intertwined with the development of the prerequisite painting
skill. It can be argued that there are two critical stages in the holistic development
of personal skill in painting; there is the stage of acquisition of skill and the
subsequent stage of refinement of skill. The stage of acquisition of artistic skill is
perceived to be the period where skill is gained, attained, and consolidated
including the time spent in formal art school. Consolidation of skill includes the
harnessing and organizing of underlying or embedded artistic talent. The stage of
refinement of artistic skill is perceived to be the period where acquired artistic skill
enters the realm of refinement. Although these stages obviously tend to overlap,
there is a point where one ‘feels’ by virtue of acknowledgeable work that he or
she has acquired the prerequisite or commensurate skill to be able to perform
specific artistic tasks and that that prerequisite skill only needs to be subsequently
refined over time. The wider concept of the development of personal style itself
lacks such demarcation of time and definition since it is always evolving and
adapting to new challenges, innovations and environments and is, therefore, seen
to be lifelong rather than time specific. In examining the featured oil paintings,
this paper seeks to explore the concept of refinement of skill and determine
whether or not there occurs significant visual refinement of skill within a time
period of four continuous years, the time frame within which the paintings were
created. The artist, who is a Masters student at Kenyatta University, undertook the
paintings of birds as a matter of personal artistic interest over the said period of
time and did not have prior knowledge of an impending specific study of his work
in this regard. Subsequently, the level of skill, technique and personal style as
displayed in the paintings were both spontaneous and authentic. In the initial review of the paintings and other prior work by the artist, the study determined
that the artists had attained the level of skill necessary to be classified as having
surpassed the stage of ‘acquisition’ of artistic skill and was, therefore, no longer
seeking to acquire painting skills for purposes of undertaking his work.
Subsequently, the focus of the study shifted to the realm of refinement. The
number of paintings featured (34), painted randomly over time, that is, without
any prior reference to or inclination towards the visual interest of the study, was
determined to be sufficient to extract the desired outcome. In addition, the
paintings were created as a matter of the artist’s sustained personal interest in the
study of various types of birds; their colours, shapes, forms, textures, and
environment. Although the artist engaged in other types of paintings within the
same time frame, the study, however, selected the artist’s own sustained interest
in the subject of birds as a matter of consistency of subject matter and its
renditions.
Description
Article
Keywords
Oil Painting, Colours, Refinement, Textures, Skill, Proportions, Brushstrokes, Background
Citation
Wango, K. (2023). ‘Painting in Oils’ – Refinement of Skill and Personal Style Through the Study of Birds. Analysis of the Work of Zephania Lukamba, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya. East African Journal of Arts and Social Sciences, 6(1), 167-198. https://doi.org/10.37284/eajass.6.1.1174