Article
Natural Synthesis By Rice, Erin M.
Article
The concept of Natural Synthesis was set forth by members of the Zaria Art Society. They called for the merging of the best of Western and Nigerian traditions, forms, techniques, and ideas in the arts into a hybrid art-making practice and conceptual framework. The concept was developed in the late 1950s alongside a gathering momentum towards independence in search of a modern art that would suit the new nation. Proponents of Natural Synthesis were responding to concerns that much of Nigeria’s artistic heritage was being lost to the influence of foreign culture and academic traditions.