Artistic style
Semblance Realism
Semblance Realism: chaos up close, a face from a distance.
Up close, these paintings are pure texture: dripped color, scribbled paint, rope, sack fabric. Move your cursor across the canvas below, then pick a piece.
Move your cursor across the canvasCrown by Dreams
What Semblance Realism is
Semblance Realism, a manipulation of dripped colors, is a powerful expression of African culture and heritage. The emphasis on outward appearance, masking deeper truths, mirrors the intricate tapestry of African symbolism, especially the significance of threads. I apply multicolored drips to weave a narrative that symbolizes the interconnectedness of life, the unity of community, and the weaving together of tradition. Just as chaos resolves into recognizable subjects, the diverse threads of African heritage coalesce into a rich tapestry of tradition and identity.
Emmanuel Anaiye Ifebunmi is a Nigerian painter, originally from Kogi State and now based in Ibadan. Working mainly in acrylics and gloss on canvas, he originated Semblance Realism: dripped, scribbled, layered paint that reads as pure abstraction up close, then resolves into a portrait as you step back.
Semblance Realism, the documentary
Semblance Realism works
Full gallery →Crown by Dreams
The Afro Queen (Ever Green)
The Afro Queen 2
Innocence (The Next Generation)
Corporate Afro
Black Pearls
Commission a piece, or collect one
Semblance Realism originals and commissioned portraits from Emmanuel Anaiye.
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