Benedict Chukwukadibia Enwonwu M.B.E (Nigerian, 1917-1994)Figures in profile ('Africanity')
signed and dated 'BEN ENWONWU/ 1965-66' (lower left)
oil on canvas
102 x 33cm (40 3/16 x 13in).注脚Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist in Lagos, 1966.
In private Dutch collection, 1966-2007.
Thence by descent.

The angular dancer on the left of this composition is strikingly similar to the figure depicted in a gouache titled Africanity that Enwonwu painted the previous year. In both works, the figure's arms are raised to his head so that they form a diamond shape. This shape is echoed by the lower half of his body, his knees pointing outward. In the earlier gouache, the figure is very abstract; even his facial expression is composed from straight horizontal and vertical lines. Enwonwu has fleshed the dancer out in this later oil painting. White highlights and shading create the illusion of rounded thighs.

Another important difference between the two compositions is the insertion of the woman wearing a blue headdress. Her three-quarter profile and regal posture can be seen as a foreshadowing of Enwonwu's most famous portrait, the Ife princess Adetutu Ademiluyi (Tutu), painted by Enwonwu in 1973.