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Portrait Photography in West Africa 85 FIG. 10 (below): Malick Sidibé (Malian, b. 1936), Self-Portrait, 1956. Gelatin silver print in original frame of reverse-painted glass, tape, cardboard, string. 40 × 30.7 × 1 cm. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Gift of Jack Shainman and Claude Simard, 2014 (2014.638). In this rare self-portrait, Sidibé is seemingly caught off-guard, looking surprised at the camera. Sitting at his desk, the young photographer turns toward the viewer, his face illuminated by the natural light entering his studio in the heart of Bamako. The colorful painted frame, added decades after the photograph was made, echoes glass painting traditions particularly popular in neighboring Senegal since the late nineteenth century. FIG. 9 (left): Malick Sidibé (Malian, b. 1936), Je veux être seule (I Want to Be Alone), 1979. Gelatin silver print. 18 x 13 cm. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Gift of Jack Shainman Gallery, 2003 (2003.219). FIG. 11 (above): Seydou Keïta (Malian, 1921/23–2001), Woman Seated on Chair, 1956–57. Gelatin silver print, 2001. 55.9 x 39.4 cm. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Purchase, Joseph and Ceil Mazer Foundation Inc. Gift, 2002 (2002.217). Here, Keïta depicts a woman seated against one of his most popular arabesque backdrops. She holds a frontal pose with her arms resting on the chair staring directly at the viewer. This close angle allows Keïta to foreground all her precious jewelry, voluminous outfi t, and intricate coiffure. The photographer privileges an aesthetic of abundance and opulence that speaks to the woman’s social status. His tendency to fi ll the picture plane with contrasting motifs stands in opposition to the photographs by Senegalese photographer Oumar Ka, whose sitters are mostly enshrouded in empty space.


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