Artistic forms and ethnic identity in Nigerian painting

This paper discusses the artistic forms and ethnic identity of paintings in Nigerian art schools. Artists in Nigeria used diverse forms to represents images that are peculiar to their ethnic groups to achieve a distinctive identity. Data for the study were obtained from paintings of different ethnic groups found in the various regions of the Art schools in Nigeria. The art schools have been the centre for manifestation of indigenous forms in Nigeria. The Schools has been noted with individualism in form depiction that is characterized by elongation of forms, abstraction, semi-realistic with northern architecture. In the South and Eastern part of the country their paintings depict day to day activities using naturalism and symbolic representation of forms. Each region uses indigenous forms to portray ethnic identity and this invariably produced arts and artists that are regional in their practice. The paper concludes that art schools have been the centre for manifestation of indigenous forms and artistic identity among Nigerian Painters.