Ablade Glover (Ghanaia N, B.1934) Praying Season
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Notes : Without indicating it, “Prayer Scene” strongly suggests Jumma’a (Friday) prayers of the Muslim faithful. Jumma’a meaning Friday in Arabic is a day considered and consecrated as a holy day. It is a special day when the faithful believe that Allah would hear and answer all their prayers. It is a day of peace received and given. Jumma’a is also considered to be the most important and best day of the week. It is perhaps against this background that the artist created this work. Interestingly the work is titled “Prayer Scene” suggesting a focus on the subject matter rather than the people. (Could this be the a deliberate intension to make a distinction between the Faith and it practitioners?). Here two dominant colours were used by the artist – hues of blue and yellows, complimentary colours that element of peace. The posture of symbol of identity, also suggesing supplication and submission. If the viewer then looks at the painting as a whole, white permeates its surface, giving it an over all atmosphere of a consecrated environment. Here again Glover takes on a common scene found in Muslim dominated populations as a symbolic reference to the quest for peace for the whole world. The scene indeed cuts across the prayer posture of all major religions of the world. (JB)
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