Believe it or not, that coloured picture of Jomo Kenyatta is not a photo – it’s a finger painting.
A Kenyan artist who goes by the name Kelvin Kioi has painted a stunning portrait of Kenya’s first president Jomo Kenyatta with his son, now Kenya’s fourth president Uhuru standing next to him during his younger days.
Kelvin is one of the youngest members of a growing community of artists in Nairobi creating hyper-realistic paintings.
Hyperrealism is a genre of art that produces hand-drawn images resembling high-resolution photos.
Given Kelvin Kio’s extensive experience, his glittering reputation, and the magnitude of his successes to date, his Jomo Kenyatta portrait isn’t likely to be adopted by the first family or by the state.
This Jomo Kenyatta portrait was drawn based on a photograph, but the output proves that Kelvin recreated it entirely through his own artistic talent. Although the time-lapse makes it look like a breeze, it actually took Kelvin more than 200 hours and hundreds of brush strokes to complete.
If adopted by the state, the portrait could be one of the most intriguing Kenya’s presidential portraits hanging in the White House or the National Portrait Gallery.
It’s an aesthetic growing in popularity, amongst both the local art community and an avid global audience.
Kenyatta was the first black head of government playing a significant role in the transformation of Kenya from a British colony to an independent republic.