Surroundings Of Kinshasa Congo, Africa

Here is a pretty Africanist painting representing the surroundings of Kinshasa. Modern and lively, this painting bears witness to life in the Congo in the 1930s. The work is signed lower left. Original frame, probably made by the artist himself. 27/35 cm 47/39 cm with framing. Biography of the artist: Guilherme d'Oliveira Marques known as Guilherme Marquès is a Portuguese painter and sculptor born in Brazil on October 12 in 1887. He is considered one of the fathers of African painting and Africanism of the 20th century. century. Marques was born in Brazil, but emigrated to the Belgian Congo in 1927 when he was 40, already an established painter. He is fascinated by Congolese landscapes and life and paints local scenes there, and also creates wooden sculptures. Within this unique cultural milieu, he directs his artistic gaze primarily towards the region's inhabitants and rural life, capturing the essence of the surrounding villages with remarkable finesse. The bustling market has notably become a favored subject in his artistic repertoire. These seemingly ordinary but deeply resonant everyday scenes quickly became emblematic of the artist's work, firmly associating him with their vivid and heartfelt depiction. He also created numerous sketches for illustration and publication. He was prolific, creating numerous paintings, as well as sculptures of wooden figures, engravings and sketches. Less known about him is that he is a very good portraitist, appreciated by the missionaries who regularly organize exhibitions for him, and praised for his poetry in his works and for his portraits. This allowed him to be asked to make portraits of dignitaries and politicians as well as artists and writers, among others the painter Allard l'Olivier. In the 1930s, he worked for the newspaper Cosmo-Kin, a polyglot weekly whose first issue dates from Sunday January 4, 1931. He died in Kinshasa and was buried in the Ngombé cemetery on May 15, 1960. Sources: Wikipedia and archives Y. Ysebaert Stele with the bruised splendor of the painter Allard l'Olivier. Illustrated with a portrait of Allard the Olivier by Guilherme d'Oliveira Marques. Léopoldville: Le Courrier d’Afrique, 1933, 20 p. The Leafless Lotus. Seven tales. Illustrated by GO Marques. Léopoldville: Cosmo-Kin, 1934, 63 p. (HC) Africanists, traveling painters: 1860-1960; By Lynne Thornton