Kwesi Botchway's artwork is a vibrant celebration of color. His portraits feature bold, flat, and brightly colored backgrounds that serve to accentuate the rich, dark skin tones of the depicted figures. These skin tones are rendered in deep, almost-black shades of purple, a color he associates with luxury and power, symbolically elevating Blackness and equating his subjects with royalty. The artist employs cross-hatching brushstrokes to layer highlights on the skin, creating an ethereal radiance. This technique aligns with Botchway's distinctive painting style, which he aptly names "Afro-impressionism." This departure from his earlier realist work is influenced by contemporary artists like Amy Sherald and Kerry James Marshall, who use a diverse range of hues to capture the intricacies of Black skin, embracing its multifaceted nature.

Botchway views his art as a form of non-verbal communication. The facial expressions of his subjects play a central role, often engaging viewers through direct eye contact, symbolically challenging and reversing the traditional gaze. The confidence of these figures is also reflected in their fashion choices, which blend elements of street fashion, glamorous evening attire, and traditional West African prints. These fashion selections mirror the artist's upbringing in the culturally diverse Nima area of Accra, where he was exposed to a fusion of cultures and lifestyles. Similarly, Botchway's portraits exuberantly celebrate the diverse spectrum of Blackness with genuine joy.

Kwesi Botchway

Ghanaian

Main

Artist

Printer

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Lady with a Tampi