In “Red Veil (Not a Time to Dance),” Nigerian artist John Madu stages a moment of ascent marked by tension and symbolism. A veiled Black woman, her eyes serious, climbs a staircase with yellow treads and a wooden banister inside a vivid pink room. Draped in a striking red veil, she appears purposeful yet solitary. Above her hangs a reproduction of Henri Matisse’s Dance II (1910, Hermitage Museum), tilted to mirror the angle of the stairs. Its joyous circle of dancers, an emblem of freedom and collective harmony, is displaced here, unreachable and silent. Madu, a self-taught Lagos-born artist, blends African histories, global pop culture, and art-historical references in his vivid, layered canvases. Here, he contrasts Matisse’s vision of communal ecstasy with solitude. The subtitle, “Not a Time to Dance,” underscores the disruption: there is no hand extended to invite her into the dance. The painting becomes a metaphor for oppression, restraint, and resilience, reflecting contemporary realities in Nigeria. By inserting “Dance (II)” into his work, Madu creates dialogue across centuries. Matisse’s masterpiece, commissioned for Sergei Shchukin, was once paired with Music; both works celebrated rhythm and human vitality. The museum notes a deeper lineage: the clasped hands in William Blake’s paintings resonate in Matisse, but here, Madu leaves the hands apart, denying unity. The red veil carries layers of meaning like mourning, ritual, concealment while the climb itself suggests determination amid constraint. Painted in 2020, during a year of global upheaval, “Red Veil (Not a Time to Dance)” embodies Madu’s distinctive fusion of symbolism and critique. It offers no easy resolution. Instead, it insists on reflection, asking us to consider isolation, agency, and the unfinished struggle for freedom.
“Red Veil (Not a Time to Dance)” by
John Madu (Nigerian) - Acrylic on canvas / 2020 - Ueshima Museum (Tokyo, Japan) #WomenInArt #art #FigurativeArt #ArtText #JohnMadu #Madu #UeshimaMuseum #Ueshima #AcrylicArt #artwork #BlueskyArt #surrealism #PopSurrealism #NigerianArt #Afrofuturism #NigerianArtist
