Yemaya

by Cleaster Cotton

Title

Yemaya

Artist

Cleaster Cotton

Medium

Painting - Acrylic Painting (digitally Enriched)

Description

I painted this Contemporary Primitive image in 2000 on paper, manipulated the image in a computer graphics program, and turned the background black for a stark contrast.. I love this piece so much!

The Contemporary Primitive Art Movement was started by Cleaster Cotton in the United States of America in the 1980�s. The range of art, by African Artists - from across the diaspora - makes Contemporary Primitive Art highly collectible. Artists use common, contemporary, resourced, and recycled materials in a basic, primitive manner and create soulful, cross-cultural art which evokes a sense of timelessness. Artists command sophisticated, expert use of materials offered them by any environment. The use of shape, line, color, texture, and tone is brilliant and, the demonstration of simplicity is genius!

Yemaya is the Yoruban Orisha or Goddess of the living Ocean, considered the Mother of All. She is motherly and strongly protective, and cares deeply for all her children, comforting them and cleansing them of sorrow. She is said to be able to cure infertility in women, and cowrie shells represent her wealth. She does not easily lose her temper, but when angered, she can be quite destructive and violent, as the sea in a storm.

Yemaya is worshipped in many cultures besides her original Africa. In Brazilian Candomble, where she is known as Yemanja or Imanje, She is the Sea Mother who brings fish to the fishermen, and the crescent moon is her sign. As Yemanja Afodo, also of Brazil, she protects boats travelling on the Sea and grants safe passage. She is associated with the mermaid-spirits of Lasirenn (herself a form of Erzulie) who brings seduction and wealth. Yemaya's colors are blue and white. She is said to wear a dress with seven skirts that represent the seven seas. Sacred to her are peacocks, with their beautiful blue/green iridescence, and ducks. The number seven is hers, also for the seven seas.

Alternate spellings: Yemanja, Yemoj, Yemonja, Yemalla, Yemana, Ymoja, Iamanje, Iemonja, Imanje. She is also called: Mama Watta, "Mother of the Waters."

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December 4th, 2011

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