This isn't a photo. It's an oil painting by a Nigerian artist who hopes his works will draw attention to African arts.
I great man once told me "son you can't attain success if you don't love the effort of others"
All around the globe people are singing the praises of Nigerian painter Olumide Oresegun.
Until a couple days ago, the 35-year-old artist's hyperrealistic oil paintings were unknown to most of the world. Now they've taken the Internet by storm after he posted a few photos of his new art to his Facebook page.
Oresegun says those postings earned his enchanting, life-like work more than 200,000 shares on Facebook.
“I have been able to push my realism to a certain level at which people can reckon with, because most people don’t reckon with realism in Africa,” he says.
He's been painting for almost 10 years, but after posting the photos his Instagram following went from around 400 to more than 37,000 . His paintings have also been shared thousands of times on Twitter, Snapchat, Tumblr and Google+.
Credit: Photo courtesy of Olumide Oresegun
Oresegun says since his art went viral, he has received many international inquires about his work and from local galleries and collectors in his hometown of Lagos.
He says his love of art began at around 4 years old, and he was encouraged by his mother, who provided him with drawing books to practice his skill.
“At a tender age I was fascinated by so many things that surrounded me and I wished to replicate what is in my surroundings,” says Oresegun.
Oresegun studied fine arts with a specialty in painting and graduated from Lagos' Yaba College of Technology in 2006. He held his first art exhibition in 2011 at Mybrim Gallery in Ikorodu, Lagos, as well as his second in 2014.
Credit: Photo courtesy of Olumide Oresegun
Currently, his work sells for between 200,000 and 500,000 naira ($1,000-$2,500). He hopes the momentum from social media will continue to bolster attention to his art and the people of Africa.
“I want my name to be a household name in Nigeria and in the whole world entirely,” says Oresegun. “Something great is coming out of Africa.”
Credit: Photo courtesy of Olumide Oresegun
Credit: Photo courtesy of Olumide Oresegun
Credit: Photo courtesy of Olumide Oresegun
Credit: Photo courtesy of Oresegun
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Great piece
Wow! Such a wonderful work from Olumide Oresegun! He is really gifted and naturally talented in his find. I love his arts. Pls whats his name on Facebook.?
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https://www.pri.org/stories/2016-03-15/isnt-photo-its-oil-painting-nigerian-artist-who-hopes-his-works-will-draw
Nice one am kind of promoting african and have been a love of his will drop more soonest