Kevin Blythe Sampson b. 1954
Chiuta, 2020
Acrylic on canvas
16 x 20 in.
40.6 x 50.8 cm
40.6 x 50.8 cm
© Kevin Blythe Sampson
Surreal figurative painting of "Chiuta," an African God of rain, plant growth, and food., Description: Literal meaning of "Chiuta" – "great bow in the heavens'. The supreme deity of the Tumbuka in Malawi; sometimes he is referred to as Mulengi, "creator'. Chiuta is a powerful god, self-created, and omniscient. Moreover, he is Mwenco, "owner of all things,' and Wamtatakuya, "eternal'. Above all else, Chiuta is a rain god, the succor of a people often afflicted by drought.The central figure of this surrealist figurative painting appears to loom over a village on a lush hill and is flanked by two trees and two small bodies of water. A multicolored bird sits atop his head, facing an eye in the sky in place of the sun.
