Michael Armitage is an acclaimed contemporary painter known for his large-scale paintings depicting tropical landscapes. Based in Nairobi, Kenya, Armitage draws inspiration from East Africa’s complex social environments to create evocative figurative works that provide commentary on political and social issues.
Armitage established his reputation for creating lyrical, dream-like compositions of figures immersed in dense jungle settings. This monumental work, measuring over 13 feet wide, exemplifies key aspects of Armitage’s artistic style, particularly his nuanced use of the landscape and his unique synthesis of European and East African artistic traditions.
Born in Nairobi in 1984 to a Kenyan mother and British father, Armitage grew up with dual influences from both Africa and Europe. He studied at the Slade School of Art in London before returning to East Africa, where he immersed himself in the thriving contemporary art scene in Nairobi. Armitage’s upbringing and education situates him between different worlds, an experience that he translates into canvases depicting ambiguous, in-between spaces and exploring themes of shifting identities.
The Paradise Edict Painting
The Paradise Edict is a large oil painting created by contemporary Kenyan artist Michael Armitage in 2015. It measures over 2 meters tall and 3 meters wide, providing an impressive and enveloping viewing experience.
The Paradise Edict is part of the permanent collection at the Norval Foundation art museum in Cape Town, South Africa. It was originally commissioned by the Louis Vuitton Foundation for Creation gallery in Paris.
The painting depicts a lush, verdant landscape filled with tropical flora and fauna. Tall palm trees tower over the scene, with their leaves seeming to provide a natural canopy. Brightly colored flowers and plants populate the foreground. Toward the back, a group of zebras gallop through a clearing.
The setting appears to be an idealized tropical landscape, simultaneously realistic yet imagined. Armitage drew inspiration from 18th century depictions of paradise and the Garden of Eden. The work’s title references the biblical idea of living in accordance with a heavenly edict or divine law.
Use of Tropical Landscapes
Michael Armitage is known for incorporating tropical landscapes and settings into many of his paintings, most notably in his acclaimed Paradise Edict series. Armitage was born in Nairobi, Kenya in 1984 and spent much of his childhood there before moving to London as a teenager. This early exposure to the lush, vibrant landscapes of East Africa has stayed with him and greatly influenced his artistic style and subject matter.
In Paradise Edict, Armitage places the central figures amidst a vivid, Edenic tropical setting. Lush green hills and valleys roll into the distance, dotted with palms and other tropical vegetation. Though the plants and trees are painted in an abstract, exaggerated style, they are still recognizably tropical species found in equatorial places like Kenya. Armitage seems to revel in exploring the bold colors and textures of these plants – the vivid greens, dynamic palms, and tangled leafy canopies.
By immersing the human subjects in these landscapes, Armitage connects them to the land in a primordial way. The landscapes ground the figures in a specific place and context, namely East Africa, which carries deeper postcolonial meanings. The landscapes also contrast with the subjects to convey a sense of tension between man and nature. Overall, Armitage’s mastery of tropical scenery helps bring Paradise Edict to life and infuses it with symbolic significance. The landscapes reflect Armitage’s roots in Kenya and form a critical part of his unique artistic voice.
Symbolic Meaning of Flora
In Paradise Edict, Michael Armitage incorporates tropical flora that take on symbolic meanings beyond mere landscape elements. The painting is set in an abundant jungle scene, with a variety of trees, plants, and flowers visible.
The banana trees in the background are shown in full fruit, representing sustenance and abundance. Bananas have long been a staple crop in East Africa, where Armitage drew inspiration for this work. Their inclusion symbolizes the natural bounty of the land.
The tall grasses in the foreground take on an ominous presence, seeming to swallow up the human figures. They symbolize the forces of nature that can overwhelm mankind if left unchecked. The grasses tower over the people, dwarfing them in size.
The vibrant pink flowers dotted throughout the scene provide striking contrast. Some see these delicate blossoms as symbols of fleeting beauty and impermanence. The flowers sprout up amidst the chaos, suggesting the persistence of hope and regeneration even in difficult times.
The trees, plants, and flowers in Paradise Edict all act as more than just decorative background. Armitage imbues them with symbolic significance related to sustenance, nature’s power, beauty, and optimism. His thoughtful use of flora helps convey deeper meaning.
Role of Animals
Animals play a symbolic and atmospheric role in Armitage’s Paradise Edict painting. At the bottom right, a zebra and giraffes wander through the landscape, while birds fly overhead. Their presence creates a mood of natural wilderness, emphasizing the idea of an earthly paradise or Eden.
The zebra stands out in particular. Its stripes echo the abstracted marks that Armitage uses in the foliage, unifying human and animal through artistic style. The zebra’s alert stance also introduces a sense of tension, as if danger lurks right outside the frame. This contributes to the painting’s complex, unsettling atmosphere.
The animals do not interact with the human subjects in an obvious way. Yet their inclusion in the composition ties humanity to the natural world. The animals belong to this landscape just as much as the people – they are part of the same symbolic ecosystem. Their presence is a reminder of our connection to the environment and animal kingdom.
Overall, the animals in Armitage’s painting play an important role in developing the work’s themes and mood. As symbolic figures integrated into the landscape, they demonstrate Armitage’s ability to combine naturalism and abstraction in a way that conveys deeper philosophical meaning.
Use of Color
Michael Armitage utilizes striking and vibrant colors in his Paradise Edict painting to evoke emotion and meaning. He employs warm tones like fiery oranges and radiant yellows to infuse a sense of intensity and movement. Cool blues and purples in the background create depth and shadow.
Throughout the painting, Armitage plays with distinct color palettes to differentiate between the human figures and animal forms. The human subjects are rendered in luminous ochres, siennas, and umbers — earthy tones that ground them in the scenes. Meanwhile the animals feature vivid crimsons, cobalt blues, emerald greens and violet purples, amplifying their fantastical, dream-like presence.
The distinct color choices also hold symbolic meaning. The verdant greens and vibrant pinks of the floral forms represent life, fertility, and the natural landscape. Stark whites and deep blacks heighten dramatic effects and direct the viewer’s focus. Overall, Armitage’s thoughtful and energetic use of color brings Paradise Edict to life and immerses the viewer in its layered narratives.
Composition and Perspective
Armitage’s composition in Paradise Edict utilizes a mixture of perspectives to create a sense of chaos and unease. The painting lacks a single unified vanishing point, with elements appearing at different angles and scales.
In the foreground, figures are rendered larger-than-life, looming over the viewer. The prone nude woman sprawls across the bottom third of the canvas, her limp body ominously filling the space. Behind her, a pack of wild dogs converge in an aggressive cluster, painted from a low perspective to emphasize their menacing presence.
The middle ground features a dense, tangled jungle scene. Plants, trees, and rock formations overlap in an ambiguous space, extending back towards distant mountains. The jungle acts as a transitional space, mediating between the foreground figures and background vistas.
In the far background, tiny simplified figures dance and socialize, rendered small against the sweeping backdrop of mountainous terrain. This elevated perspective provides a sense of distance, contrasting with the dominant foreground presences.
Overall, the varying perspectives create an impression of multiple competing scenes and viewpoints vying for prominence within the composition. This meshes well with the chaotic mood Armitage establishes in the painting.
As one of the most prominent young artists from East Africa making an impact on the global stage, Armitage has become a powerful role model. His unique background and aesthetic vision are expanding conceptions of what African contemporary art can be. Paradise Edict encapsulates the promise of a rising generation of artists reimagining artistic tradition for the 21st century.
Though only in his mid-30s, Armitage’s Paradise Edict has already proven an influential work of contemporary art. It demonstrates his prodigious talents while highlighting important perspectives on history, identity, and the postcolonial experience. As Armitage continues his artistic journey, Paradise Edict will be remembered as an early career-defining masterpiece with a lasting impact.
