Man Standing in a Courtyard
Oumar Ka Senegalese
Not on view
The use of a monochromatic backdrop, tiny in comparison to the vast semidesert landscape beyond, centers the sitter and defines this image as a formal portrait. The man’s shirt, leather sandals, and loose fitting pants, called thiaya, suggest that he was probably a mason who commissioned this portrait of himself dressed for a normal workday. Ka employs a wide angle to include the sandy streets of the Baol region in Senegal, its overcast sky, and a large building complex. He plays with the different surfaces—the uneven white sand, the shining metallic fence, and the cloudy sky—to create patterns that modulate and enrich the composition. In the unequal ratio of sitter to landscape, Ka’s fascination with his environment comes to light.
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