Beggar
Uche Okeke
Nigerian, 1933–2016
1963
A charcoal-on-paper drawing in which Okeke reduces a human figure—the beggar—to a few bold, rhythmic strokes that aim to convey presence and gesture rather than literal detail.
What strikes you is the economy of gesture: thick, granular charcoal lines and repeated hatch marks that pulse across the cream paper, suggesting ribs, limbs, and a bowed posture without closing the form.
Made during the early postcolonial period, this work exemplifies Okeke’s project of forging a modern Nigerian visual language by fusing indigenous aesthetics with international modernist abstraction, helping to open space for a distinct contemporary African art.
Medium
Charcoal on paper
Dimensions
15 x 11 1/2" (38.1 x 29.2 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Grace M. Mayer Bequest, and gift of the Ian Woodner Family Collection (all by exchange)
Accession
680.2015
Palette
Exhibitions
