Artist Techniques/Style
Bogolan Art Technique
In recent years the stark black and white designs of Bogolanfini have become, along with kente, one of the best known African cloth traditions around the world. Bogolan is a Bamana word (a Mande speaking people who inhabit a large area to the east and north of Bamako in Mali) that is composed of bogo meaning clay or mud with the suffix lan which means the instrument where one waits for a result.
Bogolan means literally the result that is given by clay (on cloth). It suggests a result of a technique that consists of applying clay to a fabric support. The term "mud cloth" as it has been translated into English is actually inaccurate since it is a specific wet clay rather than mud which is used in this technique. The fabric traditionally consists of bands of hand-woven cotton cloth which are sewn together to make a wide cloth that can be used as a tunic, a wrapped skirt or now, a canvas.
The clay with which one draws on the canvas is found near river beds. The clay is applied directly to the cloth using such implements as a quill, stick or brush. Other colours are achieved from the use of vegetal dyes which come from different species of local plants and result in colours that range from ochre, to khaki, to reddish brown.
Use of leather as a medium in the artists work
The use of leather as a medium is a technique that involves various steps completely using natural techniques. This is a very old technique that was used by the artist’s ancestors and which he has now perfected and uses in his paintings. The dyeing of leather with a myriad of different colours involves a long process combining the soaking and washing of the raw hide.
In order to bring natural colour to the leather and add other colours (such as red) using a chemical reaction, the leather is then exposed to the sun for several hours. The strong sunlight strengthens the colours already obtained during the initial treatment process. The leather is now ready to be used as a medium in the artist’s work.