The Water Brooks

Born 1969 in Lagos Folaranmi Adeyemi Stephen is an artist and senior lecturer in the Department of Fine & Applied Arts, Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria. He obtained a BA in Fine Arts (1995),MA in Fine Arts (2000), MPhil. in African Arts Studies (2011) and a PhD in African Arts Studies (2015) all from Obafemi Awolowo University Ile-Ife, Nigeria. He has been teaching at the university since 2002 till date. His research interests include Yoruba/African mural Art, and African Architecture. His articles and papers on Nigerian art and culture have been published in international journals. Stephen is a regular participant at the Harmattan Workshop organized annually by the Bruce Onobrakpeya Foundation in partnership with the Ford Foundation at the Niger Delta Cultural Centre in Agbarha-Otor Delta State, Nigeria. With a very few exhibitions to his name, he is not popularly known in the art space as an artist like his contemporaries but a few close followers, admirers and collectors have praised his attention to detail in his renditions. He believes art must serve a purpose and be relevant in passing a message to the society.

The Water Brooks is a naturalistic landscape showing a river in a dense rain forest with lush vegetation. Notice the presence of two animals that look like antelopes drinking water from the river. It appears to be a hot, sunny afternoon in a dry season in the forest shown by: the brightness of the background; the reflection of the sun rays on the brown grasses all over the banks of the narrow river; and the animals quenching their thirst in the river. The level of technicality and skill required to imagine and pictorially realize a setting of this nature is quite remarkable. With all its subtle, intrinsic details, smooth texture and blend of colours the painting draws every viewer closer to nature and its beauty.