Year: 2020
Medium: acrylic on canvas
Dimensions: 150.2 x 147.3 cm (59 1/8 x 58 in.)
Acquired from Phillips, 2023
A reproduction painting of Henri Matisse’s “Dance (II)” (1910, collection of the Hermitage Museum) hangs against a vivid pink wall. A woman with an impressive red veil climbs a staircase with yellow steps and wooden handrails. The angle of Matisse’s “Dance (II)” is tilted so that it is parallel to the angle of the staircase she climbs. When reading the title, it is attached with the subtitle “Not a Time to Dance.” The tilted work of Matisse’s and the serious gaze in the woman’s eyes certainly imply a state of repression or constraint. Madu’s paintings often draw on the essence of important works in art history, trying to serve as metaphors for contemporary situations in Nigeria, where the artist is still based. Matisse painted this masterpiece for Shchukin, a prominent Russian collector, and it was exhibited alongside his work “Music.” It is also noted for its association with a similar motif by William Blake. The two hands in the front left, which are firmly joined in Blake’s painting, are slightly separated in Matisse’s painting. Madu would not have been unaware of this symbolic sequence of motifs. In this painting, a hand of invitation for her to dance as she climbs the stairs alone is not depicted.
