Key Stage

KS3 (ENG), KS4 (ENG), KS3 (NI), KS4 (NI), CfE L4 (SCO), CfE L3 (SCO), KS3 (WAL), KS4 (WAL)
Art term

Abstraction, Symbolism
Created by

Art UK
Topics

Farming and fishing, Trees and shrubs, Rivers and lakes, Dreams and nightmares

Louis Azaria Mbughuni (b.1940)

Argyll and Bute Council

About this resource

How can colour, composition, and abstraction be used to create a dreamlike mood in painting?

This resource takes an in-depth look at The Fishermen, a painting by Tanzanian artist Louis Mbughuni. Through discussion and analysis, students will explore the inspirations behind the painting and the visual elements used by the artist. The resource also includes suggestions for a painting project inspired by The Fishermen with research links to other modern and contemporary artists.

This resource can be used to support students in:

discovering the work of artist Louis Mbughuni
analysing how visual elements and concepts can be used to create mood and atmosphere and convey ideas and feelings
responding to painting through discussion of ideas, thoughts, and feelings
researching and developing ideas for a painting project

This Art and Design resource offers a series of activities that can be used together as a lesson plan or as individual components to integrate into your own scheme of work. It is devised for CfE Level 3 / Key Stage 3 but may also be useful for Level 4 / Key Stage 4 students.

National Curriculum for England

Art and design
- Evaluate and analyse creative works
- Actively engage in the creative process of art
- Know about great artists and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms
- Produce creative work, explore ideas

Northern Ireland Curriculum

Art and design
- Developing students' own personal and creative responses
- Developing creative thinking skills through designing and making

Scotland's Curriculum for Excellence

Art and design
- I have experimented with a range of media and technologies to create images and objects, using my understanding of their properties (EXA 3-02a)
- Through observing and recording, I can create material that shows accuracy of representation (EXA 3-04a)
- I can respond to the work of artists and designers by discussing my thoughts and feelings. I can give and accept constructive comment on my own and others' work (EXA 3-07a)

National Curriculum for Wales (2008)

Art and design
- Students use their knowledge about the work of other artists to enrich and inform their work through analysis and evaluation
- Students use a variety of processes
- Students evaluate their work through discussion
- Students explore, experiment with and apply the visual, tactile and sensory language of art

New Curriculum for Wales (2022)

Expressive Arts

Exploring the expressive arts is essential to developing artistic skills and knowledge and it enables learners to become curious and creative individuals.

Progression step 4:

I can explore and experiment with my own and others’ creative ideas, demonstrating increasingly complex technical control, innovation, independent thinking and originality to develop my work with confidence, being able to explain my reasons behind choices made and evaluate their effectiveness on my creative work

I can explore creative work, understanding the personal, social, cultural and historical context, including the conventions of the period in which it was created.

I can investigate and understand how meaning is communicated through the ideas of other artists and performers.

Progression step 5:

I can explore and experiment with my own creative ideas and those of others, demonstrating technical control, innovation, independent thinking and originality, showing confidence to take risks and developing resilience in order to overcome creative challenges.

I can investigate and analyse how creative work is used to represent and celebrate personal, social and cultural identities.

Responding and reflecting, both as artist and audience, is a fundamental part of learning in the expressive arts.

Progression step 4:

I can effectively evaluate my own creative work and that of others showing increasing confidence to recognise and articulate strengths, and to demonstrate resilience and determination to improve.

I can apply knowledge and understanding of context when evaluating my own creative work and creative work by other people and from other places and times.

I can evaluate the effectiveness of a wide range of artistic techniques in producing meaning.

Progression step 5:

I can critically and thoughtfully respond to and analyse the opinion and creative influences of others in order to independently shape and develop my own creative work.

I can critically evaluate the way artists use discipline-specific skills and techniques to create and communicate ideas.

Creating combines skills and knowledge, drawing on the senses, inspiration and imagination.

Progression step 4:

I can use my experimentation and investigation to manipulate creative work with purpose and intent when communicating my ideas.

I can apply specialised technical skills in my creative work.

I can purposefully use my design skills and apply a range of solutions to clarify and refine final creative ideas.

I can draw upon my experiences and knowledge to inform and develop strategies to overcome creative challenges with imagination and resilience.

Progression step 5:

I can synthesise and apply experience, knowledge and understanding with sophistication and intent when communicating my ideas.

I can use professionally established, discipline-specific techniques confidently and convincingly in my creative work and work towards industry standard.

I can design creative outcomes to professional and industry-standard with sophistication, clear purpose and intent.

I can use effective strategies to take risks with my own creative work and can display resilience to overcome creative challenges.

Humanties

Our natural world is diverse and dynamic, influenced by processes and human actions

Progression step 4

I can understand and explain how significant places, spaces environments and landforms in the natural world are associated with economic, historical, political, and religious and non-religious beliefs and practices.

Human societies are complex and diverse and are shaped by human actions and beliefs

Progression step 4

I can analyse and explain how identity is formed. I can explain the connections between diverse societies.

Progression step 5

I can evaluate the multifaceted nature of identity and explain how it influences people’s interaction and impact within and across diverse societies in my locality and in Wales, as well as in the wider world.

Introduction

This is one of two lesson plan resources for secondary-age students that focus on modern African paintings in The Argyll Collection in Scotland. They can be used individually or together within a lesson plan, offering students the opportunity to explore the contrasting approaches to painting mood and atmosphere.

Explore the resource 'Painting mood and atmosphere: Henry Tayali'

About The Argyll Collection

The Argyll Collection was developed between 1960 and 1988 as a learning resource for young people in Argyll and Bute. It was established by writer Naomi Mitchison (at that time a Councillor for Argyll and Bute) and Jim Tyre, art advisor to the Council.

'My plan had two edges: one was purely artistic. But the other was to build up a Scottish confidence, a sense of nationhood, something a civilized person could be proud of.' – Naomi Mitchison, Times Educational Supplement 1966

The focus of the collection is contemporary Scottish art, but it also includes artworks from Africa and Asia, collected by Mitchison on her extensive travels. She wanted students in Argyll to be able to connect with other cultures, and often selected artworks that linked these cultures with Scottish cultures – such as scenes of fishing or agriculture.

Find out more about The Argyll Collection
Browse paintings in The Argyll Collection
Read the Art UK story: Modern African art, from Dar es Salaam to Dunoon

Image credit: Louis Mbughuni

Louis Mbughini

Who is Louis Mbughuni?

Louis Mbughuni was born in 1938 in Tanzania.

He studied fine art at Makere College in Uganda. Although as a student he studied twentieth-century developments in Western art, he was passionate about expressing his African heritage and identity. At college, he often painted alone in his room to avoid being influenced by anyone and developed his unique approach to using colour and abstraction to express his personal responses to the subjects he paints.

When Louis Mbughuni was growing up, Tanzania (then called Tanganyika) was under British rule. It gained independence from Britain in 1961 and after unification with Zanzibar was renamed Tanzania. Mbughuni supported the new socialist government and new president of the country Julius Nyerere and served as Director of Arts and Language in the Ministry of Culture for Tanzania. Mbughuni believes that art should serve society and that its ultimate goal should be to help people to both understand the world in which they live and to transform it.

Though trained in fine art, Mbughuni's career spanned theatre, literature and cultural policy. He now lives in the United States and is still a practising artist.

The Fishermen c.1965–1966

Louis Azaria Mbughuni (b.1940)

Argyll and Bute Council

First impressions... what do you think?

Ask your students to look at this painting and discuss their first impressions.

Use these nudge questions to help get the discussion going:

what does the painting show?
what is the mood or atmosphere of the painting? What does it make you feel? (It might help to ask your students to think of words they might use in response to it.)
do you think that this is an abstract painting? Why?
would your response to the painting be different if it was painted in a more realistic way?

Painting thoughts

The painting depicts fishermen on a lake. There is a small village with trees on the distant shore. But the painting is not a straightforward realistic depiction of the scene. Louis Mbughuni has abstracted elements of the painting – the composition, the figures, and the colours – to create a sense of eerie mystery.

Context

Fishing in this region of Tanzania traditionally involves men in wooden dugout canoes called jahazi. The canoes often have a small sail. The fishermen use nets to catch tiny sardine-like fish called dagaa. The fish are caught at night with small lamps used to attract the shoals.

Much like the importance of fishing to many communities in Scotland, fishing is an important part of the life and economy of many communities in Tanzania.

Discuss the painting again with your students considering this contextual information.

Can you see any suggestion of fishing nets and shoals of fish in the painting?
Does knowing that the fishermen fished at night with lamps change how you see the painting?
How similar – or different – would a scene of fishing boats look in Scotland?

Inspiration

Louis Mbughuni's paintings celebrate the rural life of Tanzania, a country known for its vast wilderness areas, which include the plains of Serengeti National Park, and Kilimanjaro National Park, home to Africa's highest mountain. He also draws on his memories and experiences and looks to African art and culture, politics, and his religious faith for inspiration.

His painting The Fishermen was based on his memories of a month-long fishing trip he made with his cousin on Lake Namanga when he was 12 years old.

It was also inspired by the New Testament story of Jesus recruiting fishermen as disciples and the Miraculous catch of fish.

'My intention was to depict this biblical story with a creative twist of symbolism, mystery and African identity.' – Louis Mbughuni

Ask your students:

does knowing about the inspiration behind the painting change how you see it?

How has Louis Mbughuni created the dreamlike mood of the painting?

When Naomi Mitchison bought The Fishermen for the Argyll Collection she described it as a 'dream image'.

The painting reflects the magical excitement that the artist must have felt as a young boy out on the lake at night, as well as the spirituality and symbolism of the miracle of the catch from the New Testament story.

The Fishermen c.1965–1966

Louis Azaria Mbughuni (b.1940)

Argyll and Bute Council

How has he used composition?

Discuss the composition of the painting with your students.

How has Louis Mbughuni arranged the elements within the painting – the fishermen, the village and lake and sky?
Is there a foreground and background? How has Mbughuni suggested this? How does this affect how you see the painting?
How many fishermen can you see?

Composition thoughts

The fishermen in the canoe dominate the foreground of the composition while the village is smaller in the background. Mbughuni has used perspective to make the familiarity and safety of the shore and village seem far away. This perhaps suggests that the reality of home and everyday life are also far away, as well as infusing the scene with a sense of danger.

The fishermen are mirrored, repeated upside down, at the top of the painting which adds to the strange dreamlike feel of the image.

How has he used abstraction?

Louis Mbughuni said that he abstracted the fishing scene to create a 'dramatic image of mystery'.

If he had painted the scene in a more realistic way, the sense of mystery and spirituality might have been lost among the realistic details.

Discuss colours, shapes and patterns

Perhaps the first things we notice about the painting are the bright colours and the swirling pattern of shapes that seems to surround the fishermen and their canoe.

Look at the shapes and patterns in the painting with your students.

Describe the shapes. What do they make you think of?
What effect does this patterned lake have on how you see the painting?
Do the figures look like real people – or do you think Mbughuni has abstracted them too?

Now discuss Louis Mbughuni's use of colour as a class.

Are the colours realistic?
Are they the sort of colours you might see at night?
How has he used light colours and dark colours?
What mood do they create?
Do you know of any other artists who use colour to create a dreamlike or mysterious atmosphere?

Thoughts on shapes and patterns

Artists often abstract an image by exaggerating shapes or forms or repeating them. Although the painting shows a recognisable scene, the abstracted elements make us see and think about it in a different way.

The shapes suggest the movement of the water – waves, ripples and deep and shallow areas. They make the lake look turbulent and possibly dangerous.

Some of the shapes look like nets or sails and fishtails. Can you spot these in the painting?

The figures

Although the figures in the boat are recognisable as people, Louis Mbughuni has simplified their shapes (as well as the shapes of the village and trees).

He explained that he did this to add a sense of 'majesty and simplicity' to the figures, inspired by the simple forms of early Egyptian art and African religious sculptures and artefacts.

Craftsmen, Tomb of Nebamun and Ipuky (detail)

Colour thoughts

Louis Mbughuni has used unrealistic colour to help create the mood of his painting. The two figures in the boat are silhouetted against a background of luminous yellows, reds, purples and blues.

While fishing with lamps at night explains some of the eerie colours and shadows, the colours also add a dream-like unreality to the scene. He used a mix of light and dark colours to add to the sense of drama.

'There is something majestic about pure colours. There is an aura of spirituality about them! It's all around them and within them.' – Louis Mbughuni

Mbughuni explained that his juxtaposition of light and dark colours was inspired by the highlights and shadows seen in African carving as well as the traditional use of colour in African art and artefacts.

Colour in African art is traditionally deeply rooted in spirituality and symbolism, the colours used are not just about looking bold, they are designed to reflect feelings and emotions and to tell stories.

Complementary colours

In The Fishermen, Louis Mbughuni has placed bright complementary colours next to each other.

Complementary colours are pairs of colours that appear opposite each other on scientific models such as the colour wheel. When they are used side-by-side in a painting, they make each other look brighter.

Fauvist painters at the beginning of the twentieth century often used complementary colours to create vibrant paintings.

Colour in Western art

Since the late nineteenth century and throughout the twentieth century, many Western artists have experimented with abstract colour to moods and feelings – from Symbolism to Abstract Expressionism.

Mbughuni's use of colour to express the religious spirituality of a scene can perhaps be compared to paintings that Post-Impressionist artists Paul Gauguin and also Émile Bernard made at the end of the nineteenth century.

In his painting Vision of the Sermon (Jacob Wrestling with the Angel) 1888, which is in the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, Paul Gauguin used bright colours to suggest the intense feelings experienced by a group of Breton women witnessing a vision on their way home from church and convey the mysterious spirituality of the scene.

Have a go! Paint a mysterious dreamlike painting

Task your students with painting a dreamlike, eerie scene, inspired by the mood of Louis Mbughuni's painting The Fishermen.

These research links and suggestions provide ideas and inspiration for students planning their painting projects.

What will you paint?

Choose a dreamlike or eerie subject.

Think of a place from a childhood memory or a story you have read.
Choose a subject from your imagination such as an empty street or a dark forest or a windswept stormy beach.
Or be inspired by the unreal and often surreal environments of computer games or science-fiction movies!

Imagine yourself in this place:

what does the place look like?
what does it feel like?
what does it sound like?

How could you use visual elements such as composition and colour to convey the atmosphere of this place?

Note your ideas in your sketchbook.

Research

Explore how other artists have painted dreamlike places or mysterious scenes.

Michael Armitage

Michael Armitage is a Kenyan-British artist who works between Nairobi and London. His paintings suggest visual narratives that challenge cultural assumptions. He explores politics, history, civil unrest and sexuality. Armitage is inspired by modern East African painters such as Jak Katarikawe.

See more artworks by Michael Armitage

Find out more about Michael Armitage

Paula Rego

Paula Rego's painting The Dance (1988) shows figures dancing on a beach at night. The shadowy night-time setting and the blue tones that Rego has used to evoke the moonlight, makes the painting seem mysterious.

See more artworks by Paula Rego

Marc Chagall

Russian painter Marc Chagall also painted dreamlike scenes. They combine memories of the village in Russia where he grew up, with tales from Jewish folklore. He often includes floating or upside-down figures and uses bright colours in his paintings, which add to their other-worldly atmosphere.

See more artworks by Marc Chagall

Explore more dreamlike paintings

Doorway in Part Wall 1968 Albert Reuss (1889–1975)
Sennen 1960 Heinz Koppel (1919–1980)
The Quest 1938 Cecil Collins (1908–1989)
Woman Seated among Sculptured Forms 1970 Albert Reuss (1889–1975)
K Enters the Castle at Last 2004 Ronald Brooks Kitaj (1932–2007)
Up the Creek 1992 Louise McClary (b.1958)
Paris Painting Margaret Shields (b.1942)
Tyn y Waun, Evening Will Roberts (1907–2000)
Concrete Cabin 1991–1992 Peter Doig (b.1959)
The Moon, the Woman and the Fox 2000 Bill Lewis (b.1953)
A Winding Road – Cornish Landscape 1920 Matthew Arnold Bracy Smith (1879–1959)

Plan your painting

Gather images that inspire you. These could be photographs of places or people, or artworks. Use these to help you plan your painting.

Composition

Sketch some ideas and make notes to help you plan your painting.
Think about the things you want to include and how you will arrange them (e.g. if you are going to paint a scene of people in a landscape, will the people be big and fill the page or will they be tiny figures in a big landscape?).
Small quick drawings, sometimes called thumbnail sketches, are a great way to jot down lots of composition ideas.

Think about...

The time of day – whatever you choose to paint, an evening or night scene will make the painting seem a bit more mysterious!
Colour – look again at the colours that Louis Mbughuni used. Think about using bright unrealistic colours. You could juxtapose complementary colours or use colours that are all within the same colour range – as Paula Rego has done in her painting The Dance. Use shades of blue or pinks and reds
Shapes and patterns – although Louis Mbughuni created a recognisable scene of a boat on a lake, the shapes and patterns of the lake and sky add a strange dreamlike quality to the picture. They look almost like fish tails. Are there any shapes in your painting that you could abstract?
Something unexpected! Louis Mbughuni repeated the figures in his painting upside down. How can you make your painting look strange and other-worldly?

Exhibition website: Dar to Dunoon: Modern African Art from The Argyll Collection

Dar to Dunoon: Learning Resources

Meet the artist Michael Armitage

Modern African art, from Dar es Salaam to Dunoon 4 August 2021, Kate Cowcher
Paradise lost: Michael Armitage's layered depictions of Africa 20 May 2021, Imelda Barnard
Art Matters podcast: artists’ love for the colouriest colours 15 May 2018, Ferren Gipson
Colour: the art and influence of the Scottish Colourists 21 January 2020, James Knox
Write on Art: 'Standing Figure with African Masks' by Claudette Johnson 23 October 2020, Izzy Ajani
The Scottish Fisheries Museum: herring lasses and their silver darlings 20 October 2021, Minna Kajaste-McCormack