Woman with the Artistic Brush: A Life History of Yoruba Batik Artist Nike Davies FROM THE PUBLISHER
Nike Davies is one of the few African women known internationally in contemporary art circles. The Woman with the Artistic Brush traces her life history and illustrates the strategies developed by women to mitigate male rule. Presenting a critique of the woman's place in contemporary Yoruba society from the perspective of a woman who lived it, this book covers Nike's life from the time of her mother's death when Nike was six to the culmination of her dream in the creation, against severe societal odds, of a center for arts and culture that has over 120 members. Along the way, The Woman with the Artistic Brush details how Nike ran away from home and joined a traveling theater group after her father tried to arrange her marriage, subsequently married and joined in the polygynous household of a noted artist from the popular Osogbo school, and finally broke clear of that situation after suffering sixteen years of domestic violence. The Woman with the Artistic Brush is another superb contribution to the Foremother Legacies series.
FROM THE CRITICS
Booknews
Chronicles the life of one of the few internationally known African women artists, stressing her struggle against the male rule of Yoruba society in Nigeria. Beginning with the death of Davies' mother when she was six, recounts her joining a theater troop to escape an arranged marriage, her subsequent marriage and life in a polygynous household with its domestic violence, her early artistic successes, and the eventual opening of a center for arts and culture. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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