Visages

This family of limited works is part of an exceptional small series both in fact that they are the only figurative paintings by the artist among a continuous journey through abstraction for three decades and in their evocative powers. These only four non-abstract paintings all deal with the face. The three other paintings Baoulé, Warega and Bamoun (mixed tech/canvas 100x80cm each) have traditional masks as their primary inspiration. But there too, the pictorial work makes it possible to go far beyond this dimension to capture, from the human face which sweats through the mask, this humanity on edge. The Blue man is one of these master pieces in the work of Altone Mishino.