Ngunda Bilongo (Spell of the Moon)

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Ngunda Bilongo (Spell of the Moon)

1991

José Bedia (Cuban, born 1959)

The dog-man in this enormous ink drawing, trapped by concentric force-lines emanating from the moon, embodies the magic and divination aspects of Palo Monte, the Afro-Cuban religion that José Bedia practices, which combines Roman Catholic and West African beliefs. In the ancient tradition of the Kongo peoples of West-Central Africa, the dog is associated with witchcraft. Bedia is fascinated by aboriginal cultures in general, and in his art he seeks to tap into a sort of universal quality of primitivism and to conflate this with present-day reality.

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Object Details

Title:

Ngunda Bilongo (Spell of the Moon)

Date:

1991

Artist:

José Bedia (Cuban, born 1959)

Medium:

Brush and black ink on amate paper

Dimensions:

Sheet: 47 inches × 7 feet 11 inches (119.4 × 241.3 cm)

Classification:

Drawings

Credit Line:

Purchased with the Hunt Corporation (formerly Hunt Manufacturing Co.) Arts Collection Program, 1991

Accession Number:

1991-147-1

Geography:

Probably made in Cuba, North and Central America

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