This is the second time I'm posting this Question. I will give as much detail as I can about this painting. It is signed M. ALI. In white. The signature is on the right lower corner. The painting is on an aged canvas. The canvas seems black at first but I believe the black is from the paint. The border of the canvas is paper bag brown. Starting from the top it has a beautiful darker blue almost aqua sky. There are lots of trees in the background form left to right. The picture is of three Africans (possibly) in front of a straw hut. One person is standing, stirring a big pot to the right of it. The other is sitting on a stool (looks like adding to the pot) to the left of the pot. Off to the right of the picture there is a child looking to the hut or maybe in distance. The person stirring is in a pink long wrap with a pink head dress. The person sitting is wearing different color short dressings and the child is wearing a white dressing around the waist. I would assume it is a picture of a mother, father, and young boy. I think it may be an oil painting (not familiar with paints). There are numerous paints used with such remarkable detail. The canvas measures 32x 23”. I found the painting in an abandoned storage auction, not in the frame, rolled in a white plastic trash bag. I can’t seem to find the artist on the web. Can anyone give me any leads to the value of this painting?
2007-05-11 17:54:06 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Other - Arts & Humanities
http://s190.photobucket.com/albums/z309/mnmgonzalez/
2007-05-11 19:09:30 · update #1
surely you've added good details! I think m. ali is just the artist's pen-name.
it certainly shows black people in Africa.
The two people are preparing a meal. They are both women pounding foo-foo yams of the Yoruba and Ibo of Nigeria although it could also be corn meal or matoke banana-meal of the Baganda. The scenery is tropical rain forest. The third person is likely a man walking uphill the dust path. One woman has this piggy-back ride baby while the other arranges the stuff for more pounding. The woman standing has this west African Ghanaian/Nigerian agbada clothing while the seated one has sisal fibre-like skirt much loved by traditional west and east Africans. The thick jungle kind of places the scene in Central or west africa and i'd go with the latter given the name of artist as ali. - some islamic influence in the heart of black africa. but again uganda has that thick jungle too in ankole-land. the head scarf suggests ghana and senegal and neighbors though.
the container of the stuff being pounded is not a pot but type of tree wooden-bottomed carved dish-like wooden container, very common in west and east africa.
hence to answer your question, i'd say, I dont know who the painter is but can only give the above remarks if they could help trace the real M. Ali.
You may also explore these many sites if they may help. I've tried exploring some but as you can see, they are just too many and require more time especially by someone directly interested like you.
This is main link. explore the many links, you may chance on the painter or those like Ali's and zero in on what you want.:
http://www.gallerydir.com/art-web/MEMBERSEARCH
-Good luck
2007-05-12 04:35:24 · answer #1 · answered by ari-pup 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It is very helpful to see the picture. To my eyes it's clearly what is called "Naïve art". A painting by someone who is not trained - it is an old concept, but it's useful sometimes. The way the color is attached - sometimes brighter colors on darker ones, sometimes the other way around, indicates a rather spontaneous, planless way of drawing. I'm quite sure the colors are acrylics, which would date it clearly after 1940.
The name is clearly no help. Let's say it was a muslim painter and the "M" stands - propably - for Mohammed. This would make it Mohammed Ali. Though Cassius Clay is the most prominent bearing this name, I'd estimate millions of people are wearing this name right now.
I hope you like the painting, but technique, motif and composition do not impress me very much - I may be wrong, but I would be really surprised if this is really valuable.
(It could be from THE ONE Muhammed Ali, which would make it interesting - but I do not think this is an important work.)
The best way to learn more about this work would be to ask the people you bought it from what they know about it.
I'm sorry if a disapoint you. Art is not about value. Your description indicates you like the painting - that's what art is about!
2007-05-12 05:05:43 · answer #2 · answered by Zep 1 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It would be more helpful if we could see the painting. Take a picture of it with a digital camera or something, put it on the net and then make a link to it in your question.
A good site to put your picture on would be Photobucket
http://www.photobucket.com
is case you don't know of any site you can put it on.
2007-05-11 18:02:08 · answer #3 · answered by bnr_conspiracies 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
OMG thats a corker i definite love that one with a bit of luck i will be able to be round lengthy enogh to peer extra whilst the youngsters return to scholl ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh tremendous comic story despite the fact that absolutly wanted the stomach wobble thanx hunny <((>{ xxxxx <((>{ xxxx <((>{ xxxxxxxxx
2016-09-05 17:45:28 · answer #4 · answered by clawson 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋