His paintings are highly appreciated in the professional environment
A talented young artist Kareem Waris Olamilekan lives in the poorest and most populous African Nigeria. His paintings are stunning in their authenticity. They are more like black-and-white photos, as expressive and emotional. We are telling about a teenage prodigy who dreams of Michelangelo’s fame.
Kareem was born in a poor village, none of his relatives had creative abilities. He started drawing at the age of 6. At first it was pictures from cartoons, and then portraits of friends and relatives.
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When the boy was 8, he and his family moved to the city. One of his new acquaintances studied at the art academy and invited Kareem to an open lesson. The 8-year-old boy settled down in a corner and, together with adult students, began to draw a composition from a teapot and headphones lying nearby. The teacher was so impressed by the child’s work that after a couple of days the question of his enrollment in the Ayowole Academy of Art was resolved.
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It is not surprising that just three years later the boy, with his talent, became one of the best students of the university. Due to the poverty of his family, Kareem used to have to save money in order to buy paints, pencils and drawing paper secretly from his relatives. He could only create at night, by the light of a pocket flashlight.
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Now his works are exhibited on a par with paintings by professional masters. Critics find that for his age, Kareem has a precocious deep judgment about life, which is embodied in his paintings. One of the most striking and poignant of his works is the self-portrait “Daily Bread”. The young artist showed the sweat and tears that give his family a daily struggle for existence.
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Today Kareem is 13 years old. He has already decided on the direction in his work and has the opportunity to earn with his talent. His paintings are highly appreciated in the professional environment. The teenager himself is inspired by the creations of Michelangelo and his compatriot, the African portrait painter, Arinze Stanley.
He believes that perseverance and further self-development will help him one day to exhibit his works next to the paintings of his idols.
