by Obiora Udechukwu (Artist), Chika Okeke-Agulu (Author)
High quality images selected from the the US-based Nigerian artist' sketch books dating from 1963 to the present.
This book is a critical study of the drawings of influential Nigerian artist and poet Obiora Udechukwu. It argues, quite compellingly, that the radical fusion of lyrical formalism and socio-political critique in Udechukwu's drawings is a direct outcome of his lifelong commitment to the graphic, pictorial and rhetorical properties of line. From drawings of war and famine he made as a young man in Biafra during the Nigerian Civil War (1967-1970) to the sophisticated abstract compositions of the past two decades, Udechukwu has systematically eliminated the boundaries between image and text, literary and visual poetry, and the results are drawings of tremendous lyrical power. Featuring more than 500 drawings, many in color, this beautifully designed book provides an unprecedented account of drawing as an ideational tool and powerful vehicle for the expression of an artistic-poetic imagination. Authored by an award-winning, internationally recognized art historian and critic, this book is a fitting homage to the originality of Udechukwu's drawings and illustrious career.
Author Biography
Chika Okeke-Agulu is an artist, poet, curator and Associate Professor of Art History in the Department of Art & Archaeology and the Department for African American Studies at Princeton University.