Blue and the Art of Memory in the Paintings of Jimmy Kitheka

(This article first appeared in Nomad Art)

Jimmy Kitheka draws on the nostalgic. His pieces gently bring you to pause and contemplate the everyday moments etched in memory. His. Yours. Mine. From the use of graffiti in his masterful blend of figurative and abstract techniques, to his homage to the rap legend MF Doom in the portrait of a schoolboy (see if you can find this one), his paintings project the infinite connectedness of ordinary moments. Moments that form the tapestry of our past, present and future. And moments stored in far or nearer parts of our collective memory, continuously unfolding in every detail that is reflected on. But it is his bold and predominant use of the color blue in his series that first pulls you into the Pensieve of memories he has created on canvas.

PP1 + 1 by Jimmy Kitheka, Oil on Canvas, 105x70 cm, Nomad Art Gallery (Available)

The color blue has had an intriguing placement in the history of art. It is not what is considered an earth color found in the soil and the earth’s surface and this can explain its absence in the earliest cave paintings. Its discovery coincided with the advent of mining when sources of the blue pigment could be extracted. The color blue is among the long list of inventions we have the ancient Egyptians to thank for. The rarity of the color and its production process led to its high value, up until the industrial age, which explains its long-standing association with royalty (power, wealth) and divinity. The color is still favored today as a color that signifies trustworthiness and authority, hence its use by the police, financial institutions and even international organizations such as the UN.

Shabti of Akhenaten (1353–1336 B.C.), Metropolitan Museum of Art, Source

Over the course of art history, artists of all media have utilized the multitude of unique shades of blue as a means of expression. Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) famously had a Blue Period (1901–1904) in which he used different shades of blue in his sombre monochromatic paintings, which is often explained to reflect a time when the artist was going through depression over the suicide of his close friend. The impressionist and post-impressionist painters Claud Monet (1840–1926) and Vincent van Gogh (1853–1890) applied the color blue to their unique observations and representation of the world around them. The French Artist Yves Klein (1928–1962) even developed and patented his own version of ultramarine and produced over 200 artworks bearing the blue color. And the list goes on. To this list we can add Kitheka who uses the pigment to capture the eluding yet striking essence of memory and the power of contemplation.

Starry Night Over the Rhone (1888) by Vincent Van Gogh, Mursée d’Orsay. Source

Even though the usage or appearance of the color blue on an artwork may seem inevitable to an audience or observer, e.g., in the portrayal of the sky, the sea, attire, or in the choice of background, nothing in an artist’s palette is ever to be taken for granted. In the Kivuli Series by Jimmy Kitheka, the dark blue hue is a predominant visual factor unifying the collection. Its deliberate usage more than captures the attention. It is also an invitation to keep calm while being pulled to the historic imagining of a Nairobi street in Kingsway or the memory of taking that lone long-distance bus caught before dawn in Morning Bus. Each of the pieces connects to a point in our lived or unlived experiences: observations, memories, dreams, imagination or reflection — and there lies the power of art. The deliberate casting of blue in his artwork sets our mood to the contemplative.

Morning Bus by Jimmy Kitheka, Oil on Canvas, 60x70 cm, Nomad Art Gallery, (Available)

Kitheka is not only a portrayer of memories, but an ardent collector of those timeless pieces: from stories told by his grandfather and father to his impressive collection of music, comic books and artwork, a conversation with him reveals his captivating mastery of the nostalgic that he brings on canvas. Lending us his voice, his brush and palette he allows us to peek into pieces of himself; parts of his mind, stories of his life. And at the same time, creates a Zen space on canvas that invites us to pause and reflect on our own ordinary moments that interweave our experiences past and present.

Helena 2 by Jimmy Kitheka, Oil on Canvas, 105x70 cm, Nomad Art Gallery, (Available)

The title of the series, “Kivuli Series”, currently in exhibition by Nomad Art (see the online gallery), is also telling. Kivuli, Swahili for “shade,” is where we go to be sheltered from the elements: sun, rain, fatigue, stress. The phenomenon of a shade conjures the idea of rest, protection, thought, reflection, imagination, memory. Looking through the Kivuli series, try to enter and explore the story of what each character, episode or moments caught in canvas might be telling. Study the chosen elements and objects of the environments and examine how they connect to that which is reflected. And, amidst all that, what does it make you remember or think about?

Another series of blue, a collection of Kitheka’s “Unfaded Times II: Buluu (Blue) Shadows Series” is currently in exhibition with the Akka Project in Venice, Italy (online exhibition).

Artworks from the Kivuli Series by Jimmy Kitheka are available for purchase here. For purchase and other inquiries, feel free to reach us through telephone +254 727 998363 or email joe@nomadartgallery.CO. For more works of art visit www.nomadartgallery.CO.

Fragmentary Blue by Robert Frost

Why make so much of fragmentary blue

In here and there a bird, or butterfly,

Or flower, or wearing-stone, or open eye,

When heaven presents in sheets the solid hue?

Since earth is earth, perhaps, not heaven (as yet) –

Though some savants make earth include the sky;

And blue so far above us comes so high,

It only gives our wish for blue a whet.

Sources: The New York Times | In Good Taste | My Modern Met | Art UK