Nigerian painter eyes 'perfection' through high-resolution artwork

By Pauline Odhiambo

Every artist has at least one style that brands them in the eye of the public.

That specific technique which makes a creative work unique and instantly-recognisable is an artist's signature style.

Some creators use different signatures during their lifetime, while others, like Nigerian hyperrealism artist John Adenuga Opeyemi, often mix styles to elevate creativity.

Hyperrealism is a genre of painting resembling high-resolution photographs.

Stunning artwork

Opeyemi, who creates stunning artwork under the moniker 'Hopex John', says the inspiration to infuse bold paints in his art was inspired by the desire to reflect the African culture.

"Everything in my paintings from the look of the model down to their costumes is based on African traditional elements," John tells TRT Afrika. "That's my identity. That's who I am."

Many of John's paintings seem incomplete, an apparent signal to anyone viewing his artwork to fill in the "missing" parts for psychological closure. The effect makes his paintings even more riveting, with subtle shadows that work well to enhance the cultural features of his art.

"When struggling, a person's full potential isn't always revealed. This is why the concealed parts of my paintings represent the future which is yet to be realised while the seen parts represent the present," he explains.

"The shadow, on the other hand, is a reflection of the past in the present for myself and millions of Africans struggling and striving to reach their goals."

Childhood passion

John's fascination with the arts began in childhood. In high school, he would draw the diagrams of his science studies with such precision that his teachers would often ask him to draw on the blackboard during lessons.

"I used to watch different tutorials on YouTube to get tips on hyperrealism and develop my own technique," says John.

He later studied fine arts at the University of Benin where he began experimenting with bold colours, matching paint to pencil and gradually developing the distinctive signature he uses to date.

Before he starts painting, John first jots down several concepts on a notepad before settling on a theme. The next step is to search for models to embody the concepts as he mulls over which colour schemes to use.

'Loud' art

He has worked with professional models but many of the people who model for him are his friends, neighbours and even strangers who agree to let him photograph them at his studio in Benin City.

Afterwards, he selects the best shots for sketching. One of his recent art series is a collection titled "Love, Peace and Deceit" featuring models that appear to leap off the canvas in full hyperrealism effect, their brightly-painted backgrounds enhancing the illusion.

"I want the message of my art to be loud and clear. The finished work should reflect the feelings I want to portray," the 31-year old artist says. "For this particular series, my intention was to convey concepts of love, peace, good life and fulfillment, which many Africans aspire to."

Each of the pieces in the themed series took him about three weeks to complete.

Precious gift

John estimates that he has done at least 700 commissioned artworks since he started professional painting in 2017.

He often experiments in self-portraits – an art form many artists find difficult to do. Deep scrutiny of oneself is often too "awkward" for some artists.

But John enjoys painting self-portraits. His journey in self-portraiture which started several years ago became a tradition of sorts.

"I started doing self-portraits every year to mark my birthday. It's something I find interesting because every line and mark on my face is a story of my life's journey," he says. "For a long time, that was the only precious gift I could give to myself."

African beauty

A variety of John's artworks have been showcased in galleries across Nigeria, France and the United States.

His journey to national and international recognition has however not been without challenge.

"Art is unfortunately not appreciated in many parts of Africa. It can also be very discouraging when an African artwork which took several weeks to create is priced down," he says.

He is, nonetheless, optimistic that the rising number of galleries worldwide showcasing African art will boost morale among many young artists like himself.

"I'm trying to showcase my art to the rest of the world to let them know that our African culture is African beauty," he says.

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