Visual Depiction of Wild Seed

 



Lenim Zelaya

This painting is a depiction of a scene in “Wild Seed” that we the readers did not experience.

What we see is Anyanwu and Doro boarding the ship bound for America in part 1 of the book.

Anyanwu in the foreground looking up at Doro ascending up to the ship as well as a crew

member and slave already on board. While we don’t see this moment ourselves, this is a pivotal

moment in both of the main characters lives. The duo is about to make the journey to America

on Doro’s ship; for a dream both have all but given up on. Anyanwu is leaving behind her

homeland and everything she has ever known, experiencing waves of nervousness and awe

simultaneously. Doro on the other hand is leading extraordinary “stock” back home in this

twisted story of Noah’s arc he’s made out of his life. I picked this overlooked scene on the

premise that every person who was brought from Africa, be it willing or enslaved, had a

significant shift in their lives that shouldn’t be ignored. We are set in one of the most despicable

points in human history, where people had their experiences ripped away, distorted and snuffed

out just for a majority of them to go forgotten. Important moments for a person or a people at

large should never be wiped away or unappreciated.

This piece was made in collaboration with my friend Brie Scott, and this entire project was their

idea in the beginning. I was in charge of coming up with the idea for the painting itself, providing

the set-up of the picture, and filling in over half the canvas with the general color and shape. My

partner was responsible for providing materials, deciding the color palette, as well as shading

and refining of details.

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