Djanira da Motta e Silva's 'Três Orixás' and Afro-Brazilian Heritage
Djanira da Motta e Silva's 1966 painting 'Três Orixás' depicts three orishas from the Afro-Brazilian Candomblé pantheon: Yemaya, Oxalá, and Oxum. The work is held by the Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo in São Paulo, Brazil. The painting shows the deities accompanied by drummers, referencing the essential role of music in Candomblé ceremonies. The orishas are associated with natural forces, colors, and attributes: Oxum (yellow) is a river goddess of love and fertility; Yemaya (red) is a maternal mermaid deity of childbirth; Oxalá, depicted as a woman, is the creator of human bodies. Djanira's work reflects the survival of African cultural heritage brought by enslaved people from regions including Ghana, Nigeria, Angola, Congo, Guinea, and Gabon between 1516 and 1888. The painting has contemporary resonance, with Beyoncé referencing Oxum in her 'Hold Up' video and Yemaya in a 2017 pregnancy photoshoot.
Key facts
- Djanira da Motta e Silva painted 'Três Orixás' in 1966.
- The painting is at the Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.
- It depicts three orishas: Yemaya, Oxalá, and Oxum.
- Oxum is associated with rivers, luxury, pleasure, sexuality, fertility, beauty, and love.
- Yemaya is a maternal deity often depicted as a mermaid, associated with childbirth.
- Oxalá is the creator of human bodies, depicted as a woman in the painting.
- Drummers in the background represent the essential role of music in Candomblé.
- Beyoncé referenced Oxum in 'Hold Up' (2016) and Yemaya in a 2017 pregnancy photoshoot.
Entities
Artists
- Djanira da Motta e Silva
- Beyoncé
Institutions
- Pinacoteca do Estado de São Paulo
- Enciclopedia Itaú Cultural
- Record Plant Studios
Locations
- São Paulo
- Brazil
- Salvador
- Bahia
- Ghana
- Nigeria
- Angola
- Congo
- Guinea
- Gabon
- Los Angeles
- LA
- USA
- Chile
- Rio de Janeiro