Guilherme d'Oliveira Marques. " Roots. Mayombé Forest. April 1934."

"Roots. Mayombé Forest. April 1934." Framed oil on panel. Signed lower right. Marks. Guilherme d'Oliveira Marques (October 12, 1887 in Brazil - May 15, 1960 in Léopoldville in the Belgian Congo (now Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of the Congo) was a Portuguese painter, engraver, illustrator and sculptor. He is considered one of the fathers of African painting. He is buried in the Ngombé cemetery in Kinshasa. Good condition. 35 x 27 cm without the frame. 39.5 x 32 cm with the frame. Marques' parents, wealthy wholesale cotton manufacturers in Lisbon, had commercial relations in Para, Brazil, where Guilherme was born. Frequently traveling between South America and Europe, he studied at the Duke of Abrantes School in Lisbon and Wales. After his parents became bankrupt, he began working and exhibiting his paintings in Lisbon. It was probably around 1929-1930 he settled in the Congo. He traveled to the heart of the country, notably to Kasai and Uélé, but he is best known for his views of Léopoldville and the surrounding area. He also illustrated at least seven books by the colonial writer Olivier de Bouveignes.
Bibl. Lynne Thornton, Les Africanistes peintres voyageurs, ACR éditions