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Man Standing in a Courtyard

Oumar Ka Senegalese
1959–1968
Not on view
The use of a monochromatic backdrop, tiny in comparison to the vast semidesert landscape beyond, centers the sitter and defines this image as a formal portrait. The man’s shirt, leather sandals, and loose fitting pants, called thiaya, suggest that he was probably a mason who commissioned this portrait of himself dressed for a normal workday. Ka employs a wide angle to include the sandy streets of the Baol region in Senegal, its overcast sky, and a large building complex. He plays with the different surfaces—the uneven white sand, the shining metallic fence, and the cloudy sky—to create patterns that modulate and enrich the composition. In the unequal ratio of sitter to landscape, Ka’s fascination with his environment comes to light.

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: Man Standing in a Courtyard
  • Artist: Oumar Ka (Senegalese, 1930–2020 Touba, Senegal)
  • Date: 1959–1968
  • Medium: Inkjet print, 2015
  • Dimensions: Pixel Dimensions: 2618 x 2618
  • Classifications: Negatives, Photographs
  • Credit Line: Funds from various donors, 2015
  • Object Number: N.A.2015.13
  • Rights and Reproduction: © Oumar Ka Family Estate
  • Curatorial Department: The Michael C. Rockefeller Wing

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Two Young Women Reclining, Oumar Ka Senegalese
Two Young Women Reclining
Oumar Ka
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Two Women in Front of a Thatch-Roof House
Oumar Ka
1959–1968
Self-Portrait at Home, Oumar Ka Senegalese, Film, emulsion
Self-Portrait at Home
Oumar Ka
1959–1968
Man with a Comb, Oumar Ka Senegalese
Man with a Comb
Oumar Ka
1959–1968
Two Young Women with Short Hair, Salla Casset Senegalese, Film, emulsion
Two Young Women with Short Hair
Salla Casset
1960s

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