Oil painting on board, Salum Mussa, Tinga Tinga, Tanzania, 1970s

Description

Oil painting on board, Salum Mussa, Tinga Tinga, Tanzania, 1970s

Salum Mussa, Tanzania, 1970s
Oil painting on board
Signed by the artist
Dimensions: 61/61
Unframed

Salum Mussa Mzee Lumumba lived from 1926 to 1999. He was one of Edward Saidi Tinga Tinga’s cousins. After Edward’s death in 1973, he took up painting, having observed Edward’s work for 30 years.

Tinga Tinga is an art style originating in East Africa. It emerged in 1968 and was created by Eduardo Saidi Tinga Tinga, who belonged to the Makua ethnic group from south-eastern Tanzania—an influence of considerable importance to his work. In his paintings, Tinga Tinga drew on childhood memories and the natural environment in which he grew up. He painted on fibreboard and used glossy enamels originally intended for painting bicycles. His successors replaced board with canvas, and the painting style became more dynamic. Complex compositions began to appear in the backgrounds, most commonly savannah landscapes and Mount Kilimanjaro. The picture surface is filled with numerous decorative elements—ornaments, tangled branches and geometric patterns that cover the entire background. The range of themes also expanded, with genre scenes, market scenes, spirits and satirical depictions appearing increasingly often. The colour palette was enriched as well, particularly with bright colours. Tinga Tinga paintings can be found in many museums and collections. Hundreds of exhibitions have been organised around the world. The paintings are particularly popular in Germany, Switzerland and Japan.

The artwork is in original vintage condition. The board has minor signs of use.