Description
My African Warrior
Fine Art Print on 230gsm Premium Poster Paper
17 × 24 cm image on an A4 sheet
R650
My African Warrior stands apart from the rest of the collection in its handling. Where the other portraits build the face from pattern and unmixed colour, this one is modelled naturally, in soft browns, warm pinks, gold and grey, with light falling across the forehead, the bridge of the nose and the cheekbones much as it would in life. The sitter is a young man in a broad red headwrap, with green and blue cloth wound in at one side and two dark braids falling past the shoulders. Behind him the ground is a flat, warm yellow.
The strength of the picture is in its directness. The red of the headwrap is laid in broadly and quickly, with visible brush marks and a ragged edge against the yellow, and that looseness in the surrounding cloth makes the careful modelling of the face read all the more clearly. The expression is calm and level, neither performing for the viewer nor turning away, and the warm complementary pairing of red against yellow keeps the whole picture bright without weakening the quiet of the face.
Printed at 17 × 24 cm on 230gsm premium poster paper, My African Warrior is the most immediately approachable print in the collection. It works on its own in a bedroom, study or living room, and provides a naturalistic counterpoint in a grouped hang.
Specifications
- Title: My African Warrior
- Artist: Julie Tugwell
- Type: Fine art print of an original artwork
- Paper: Premium poster stock, 230gsm
- Image size: 17 × 24 cm
- Sheet size: A4 — 21 × 29.7 cm
- Orientation: Portrait
- Supplied: Unframed
- Collection: African Portraits
- Availability: Available
Key Features
- Naturally modelled face in soft browns, pinks and gold
- Broad red headwrap with green and blue cloth
- Warm yellow ground in a red-and-yellow complementary pairing
- Printed on 230gsm premium poster stock
- Supplied unframed, ready to frame or mount
Ideal Setting
An approachable, direct portrait for a living room, bedroom, study or entrance hall. The warm red and yellow palette lifts neutral interiors and suits homes, lodges and boutique hotel rooms alike.
Style
Julie Tugwell is a contemporary South African artist whose work shares qualities with expressive, painterly traditions, favouring energetic brushwork and an emotional response to her subject over strict realism. In her portrait work she builds the face from bold, singing colour, letting warm and cool tones play against one another so that character and presence carry the picture rather than a literal likeness. The result is work that brings warmth, personality and considered sophistication to contemporary interiors.
At a Glance
- Artist: Julie Tugwell, contemporary South African artist
- Artwork: My African Warrior
- Format: Fine art print on 230gsm premium poster paper
- Print size: 17 × 24 cm image on an A4 sheet, portrait
- Subject: Naturalistic portrait of a young man in a red headwrap on a yellow ground
- Style: Expressive, colour-led contemporary portraiture
- Palette: Warm yellow, red, green, blue and soft brown
- Collection: African Portraits by Julie Tugwell
- Ideal setting: An approachable, direct portrait for a living room, bedroom, study or entrance hall
- Price: R650, supplied unframed
Please note: Images are provided as a guide to the artwork’s size and style. As each piece is photographed under different lighting conditions and viewed on different screens, colours may vary slightly from the printed artwork.





