Hamid Nii Nortey (b. 1987) is a Ghanaian artist whose compelling and colorful figurative portraits delve into Ghana and the African continent’s fast-evolving social landscape – shedding a light onto its diverse generations and social classes. Inspired by Dutch post-Impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh, Nortey’s works are characterized by the signature cross-hatching technique which he applies onto the skins of his figures. In contrast with the smooth flesh tones rendered by his subtle and wide-ranging color palette, from sienna brown to burnt sienna, his parallel lines, varying in spacing and width and across multiple areas, allude to natural skin tones, all-the-while bringing life to his characters and urban sceneries.
