Ben Enwonwu’s Concept of Hybrid Aesthetics in the Context of the Rise of Nigerian Modernism (1940s — 1960s)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the life and work of the artist Ben Enwonwu (1917—1994), who became one of the founders and leaders of Nigerian modernism. His concept of hybrid aesthetics, which involves the combination of Western artistic techniques and traditional themes, is considered. Enwonwu's innovative ideas included the rehabilitation of the active political and social role of the artist, the rallying of various ethnic groups, the assertion of the independence and full rights of the “black man” in the post-colonial world. Using the mechanism of appropriation, he managed to adapt the European visual language of modernism to the transfer of the national Nigerian experience, which had a great influence on subsequent generations of African creative intelligentsia. Based on the analysis of Enwonwu's works, the main themes for the artist's work are highlighted.