Portrait of Shango
Oil, 24k Gold Leaf, and Iron Oxide on Wood Panel with Mosaic, 24" x 24"
Shango was the fourth Alafin of the Oyo Empire. He became the orisha of thunder and lightning after his death. Rosales presents Shango’s portrait as an icon with a striking circular pattern of a sunburst, interlocking gold, green, and red chain, and architectural indentations forming the god’s ori. Inspired by Byzantine art and culture, the painting’s mosaic background, composed of small delicately painted egg shells, suggests the entwinement of Yoruba and Christian religions, similar to the interweaving of Byzantium and medieval Europe.
