When Men Were Boys (2023)Acrylic painting
by Emmanuel Akolo

I painted When Men Were Boys as a nostalgic journey back to a time when success meant nothing and happiness was found in the simplest of shared experiences. The composition features me and my siblings when we were younger—a period when we happily shared clothes, wore the same colors, and stayed inseparable. I rendered the figures in rich, deep plum tones, surrounded by a luminous teal aura that signifies the sacred, untainted bond of our youth. This work is a visual longing for the days before the complexities of adulthood, ego, and awkward silences replaced our natural closeness.

In this work, I used a high-contrast palette to juxtapose the warmth of our past with the dark, expansive backdrop of the unknown future. The direct, wide-eyed gazes of the three boys represent a clarity of spirit that often fades with time. By capturing this moment of childhood solidarity, I am exploring the "structural" changes that occur in human relationships as we age. When Men Were Boys is an intimate tribute to my brothers and sister, honoring the effortless love of our childhood and expressing my deepest wish that life could, if only for a moment, return us to that state of pure, unburdened connection.

Materials used:

Acrylic On Canvas

Details:

• Acrylic painting on Canvas
• One of a kind artwork
• Size: 121.92 x 152.4 x 3.81cm (unframed) / 121.92 x 152.4cm (actual image size)
• Signed on the front
• Style: Expressive and gestural
• Subject: People and portraits

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