Abstract

Paintings in Nigeria are characterized with various indigenous forms and materials which differentiate it from its counterpart all over the world. Over the years, there have been issues of identifying what makes Nigeria painting in form and content. However, this paper focuses on the highlight of the indigenous forms in Nigeria painting with a view of bringing into bear what constitutes pattern of forms from different geographical sphere of Nigeria. This paper observes the traditional symbols and elements that are found in indigenous Nigeria art forms that are used for the purposes of ethnic identification in Modern Nigeria painting. The study established that there is a wide range of regional artistic forms that are indigenous to Nigerian culture. In traditional paintings in Nigeria, all these regional forms are reflected in our works which the materials are locally sourced.