'Courage' In Timi Kakandar's 'Strength Of A Woman'

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Morade Oduntan

From the hair to the bold strokes of colour on her face, this piece is nothing short of captivating. The sky-blue background strikingly contrasts with her dark hair in a style similar to African threading, used to stretch and protect the hair. 

This divergence brings out the complexity and details of it, causing it to be one of the most prominent features and immediately catching the viewer’s eye. 

The main pigment in this painting is blue, in various shades and tones that enhance her features, such as her eyes and nose, with a sky blue shaping her eyes and drawing out the rich azure and black used to paint them. Blue is used to contour her nose, which distinctly juxtaposes the red that paints just above her right eye and the peach that was used on her other eyelid. The light green used to outline her lips brings out their fullness and beauty. Timi Kakandar consistently uses blue, a colour that represents bravery and dedication, to successfully express the confidence and strength of a woman. These traits are also encapsulated in her eyes, full of hope and reminiscence, and her head slightly tilted upwards, a sign of confidence and pride.

In a world where African beauty tends to be overlooked and underrepresented in the media, this piece is extremely significant, as it illustrates the strength of Black, African women, through something as simple as just existing. The woman in this painting is just there, yet her beauty radiates, and through this, her strength is portrayed. This is just one of the strengths of a woman: the ability to shine and shine brightly, even in the face of adversity.

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