How Did Bruce Onobrakpeya Influence Art

Onobrakpeya started his art unwittingly by engraving on wood thorn found in the forest of his environment, little did he know that the engraved images he used to stamp on paper constituted an art. The little boy followed his father to Benin City at a very tender age; he attended Baptist primary school in Oke Eruvbi, a river Valley, in the rural area of Benin City (and now, only a few kilometres to Ugbowo campus of the University of Benin). He had his Standards 3-6 education in Sapele; later, he returned to Benin City in 1947 and attended Western Boys High School, where he was taught art, among other subjects, by Edward Ivehivboje. Onobrakpeya also attended drawing classes at the Art Club of British Council in Benin City; he was also inspired by the watercolour paintings of Emmanuel Erabor. The excellent results that Onobrakpeya obtained at the final secondary school examinations were highly unusual to the extent that he was immediately employed to teach Fine Arts in the school; this is the genesis of the creative exploration of Bruce Onobrakpeya.
It was the Principal of Ondo Boys High School that recommended Onobrakpeya for an interview at the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology, Ibadan to earn a Federal Government Scholarship for studies at the Nigerian College of Arts, Science and Technology, Zaria, in October, 1957. He graduated in 1961, and also earned the Art Teachers Certificate (Postgraduate Diploma) in 1962. Although he was trained in the Western tradition of representational art; he also explored the forms in relation to Nigerian folklore, myths and legends. Much of his works reflect stylistic tendencies derived from traditional African sculpture, he also has penchants for lines and decorative