The “fixé under glass”

Origin

The Senegalese under glass painting so called “fixé under glass” and “souwere” in wolof came to Senegal fom the Arabic countries through Tunisia with the return of muslim pilgrims from “La Mecque” at the end of the XIXth century. In Senegal, formerly islamized and then converted to christianism, the image does not belong to tradition.

By opposition to Mali and Ivory Coast, there is very few statuary and mask art in Senegal.

Glass then finds in Senegal an unexposed and advantageous ground to spread all its splendor. Souwere painting constitutes the main plastic tradition in Senegal.

Initially, the topics related to under glass painting are based on religious themes linked to local Islam : traditions (rituals and stories), brotherhoods (witchdoctor) and daily scenes (coranic school), and they tend to move into Senegalese history, most of the time linked to colonialisation, and into profane field such as portraits – scenes of daily life, and popular wisdom.

Fixe under glass technology

The usual term “under glass” looks like a painting covered by a glass. But this is not the case. The glass itself is painted and used as a support to the painting similar to paper, canvas or wood. It is at the same time the support and the protective coat of the painting which is carried out on the back of the glass and then, seen by transparency.

The painting, both being on and under the glass, requires a specific technology :

-      the image must be painted reversed since the glass is turned over once the painting is finished

-      it must be carried out reverse since the elements which appear on the surface are the first to be painted and always visible although they are covered by other painted coat

The making of a souwere requires first to clean and to remove the grease of the glass plate. Its thickness is from 2 to 3 millimeters and its size varies from 40 to 60 centimeters. The drawing is performed either on paper and then transferred on the glass, or directly on the glass (technology adopted by Bass) with a feather or a thin brush with black painting, setting the limits of the surface which will be coloured later on.

Any details : inscriptions, signature of the artist or details which are added at the end of the work on another kind of support, must be drawn at the beginning and then reversed to appear at the first level and right side out. Finally, a last coat of painting is applied covering the whole glass plate : parts remaining blank like the ones already painted and dry in order to finalize the drawing. It is important to notice that Bass has used other materials in the same drawing such as sand and Indian ink (men and women portraits). Sometimes, he has underlined the transparency of glass, avoiding to cover it (“les enfants talibés).