Ode to the Genius and Good Intentions of Nina Simone Number 1

by Aberjhani

Title

Ode to the Genius and Good Intentions of Nina Simone Number 1

Artist

Aberjhani

Medium

Mixed Media - Mixed Media Digital Painting

Description

Feedback from a friendly critic informed me that although I sometimes categorize certain artwork as mixed media, I rarely say what the mixture includes. I probably do that because by the time the time the work is completed, the individual media pieces are nothing like their original form. But for my amiable observer I’m going to share that the original mixed media seen here for my tribute to the great singer Nina Simone includes found fragments of concrete steps, grass-covered earth, digital constructions, original Silk-Featherbrush fragments, paint on wood, pen and ink of Simone inspired by vintage concert films, & other materials. Don’t know if that will help anything so far as assessing the finished work goes but there it is.

As the title implies, this is the first of 2 versions. The most obvious difference between them is the black & white palette seen here in contrast to a selective-color variation in the second. Also, both are presented in a collage style but the visual elements are also presented differently (with some omitted, some added) to project (hopefully) the kinds of dramatic effects the subject herself did in recordings and on stage.

A LITTLE BACKGROUND: Nina Simone (1933- 2003, born Eunice Kathleen Waymon) was one of the most influential musical artists of her generation and remains one of the most admired and inspiring today. She was a superb pianist and virtuoso singer of jazz, blues, pop, gospel, and traditional African-American folk songs. When performers like BeYonce and John Legend use their star power to bring attention to important issues, they often cite Simone’s example.

EXCERPT FROM ARTICLE I WROTE ON SIMONE: “Commitment and Consequences. The singer once stated that as far as she was concerned, the job of a creative artist was to address the pressing issues of her times. Towards that end, she wrote and recorded a number of songs which addressed individual moral responsibility as well as the civil rights and women’s rights movements of the 1960s… While many championed Simone for her courageous outspokenness at a time when passive endurance was considered the key to civil rights success for African Americans, others vilified her for it...”

Aberjhani
Harlem Renaissance Centennial

Uploaded

May 18th, 2020

Colors

Embed

Share

Tags