Contemporary Art Blog 3

Mark Buku finds most of his inspirations from Western Africa. The usage of bright colors and his brushwork outlines his Cubist trends. Buku comes from a family of artists who also gave him some inspiration. His painting varies across the spectrum of painting; from the one end of realism to the other end of abstraction. Buku says that his paintings are derived from every single emotion he is feeling and they just explode onto his canvas. He doesn’t believe in painting in one certain style because to him, that limits his chance to express himself fully.

This particular painting of Mark Buku’s is called “My Kind of Tunes” which was created in 2007. This painting is catching to the eye because of the vibrant colors and then once you look closer you can see the story in the painting. Buku paints in a cubistic way; all of his figures are tied with some geometrical form. This painting has such a warm and happy glow to it. Each color is invigorating and passionate; with these colors he is trying to explain the emotions of the people that are listening and intrigued by these musicians. It feels like a warm summer day and celebration is in the air; one can tell this by the body language of the figures, all upbeat and perky. The music being played has people dancing in the streets and crying for joy.

What is so interesting about the painting, is at first I did not even realize all of the geometric forms. The blending of colors made me surpass the circles, squares, and polygons at first and all I could see were the happy people. However, each line is part of something and intertwines the figures effortlessly. The two musicians on the left playing their instruments are noticed right away but then you look closer and they are just mere strokes of brush that created a line; a line that is more than just a line, but an instrument. Then the third musicians piano is simply lines floating in the air, however, right away I could see this beautiful keyboard lying across the floor as his fingers glides over them.

I truly like this picture for all the colors and I just love how culturally inspired this painting is. It is truly beautiful in my eyes and it tells a wonderful story.