The woodcarving genre of Lamidi Olonade Fakeye: A synthesis of multiple artworlds

Lamidi Olonade Fakeye’s (1928-2009) woodcarving practice from 1938-2009, bestrides different Artworlds that span from the colonial to the modern art practice periods in Nigeria. A number of studies on Lamidi exist, the trailblazer being Kevin Carroll’s (1967) book on Yoruba Religious Carvings. This paper analyses a trajectory of his practice within longstanding Yoruba woodcarvingand modern art traditions, by interrogating his training, formal repertoire, theme and patronage pattern. Adopting the biographical and formalistic methods of art historical writing, library sources, interviews and participant observation have been employed as instruments for data collection, validation, and analysis. Conclusively, the paper advances a categorization paradigm in Lamidi’s practice. This is aimed at situating him within the matrix of Nigerian art history and development.Key Words: Artworlds, Longstanding Traditions, Igbomina/ Ekiti, Periodization, Categorization