Ramanankamonjy Joseph

The iconographic theme of this decorative frieze of bright colors is the life of the inhabitants of the island of Madagascar. The scene is joyful and sunny. On a market day, artisans, farmers, and families gathered together. The silhouettes of an old Malagasy man, a city dweller, and a young woman carrying her child punctuate the horizontal composition while seated groups of men and women discuss, negotiate, eat or cook in the shade of large parasols. Their silhouettes stand out from a simplified background. Curved lines (symbolizing the clouds) and angular lines (representing the mountain peaks) vitalize the composition. These sections of colored volumes are characteristic of the painting of the Malagasy artist Joseph Ramanankamonjy.