‘Professor Yusuf Grillo is a unique embodiment of humanity within whom traits of eloquent erudition, timeless artistry, radial intellect and knowledge as well as uncommon wisdom, battle for supremacy. For me, it remains an inestimable privilege to have experienced a profoundly nourishing breath of these divine gifts as his student in Yaba College of Technology. This is an inimitable legacy that certainly transcends all contemporary and future global art spheres. It will also outlive generations of Nigerian artists.’
CAN the dynamism of Nigerian modernity in art be interrogated without engaging a giant masquerade whose dance steps have transformed into footsteps that many other masquerades of varying sizes and colours are compelled to follow in? Can Nigerian art historical canon zoom in and out without capturing a Nigerian visual treasure? The giant masquerade, a huge elephant that has just transited was Yusuf Adebayo Cameron Grillo popularly known as Yusuf Grillo, a teacher of teachers and master of masters. He was born on December 16, 1934 and breathed his last on August 23, 2021 at the Gabagada General Hospital, Lagos. He would have clocked 87 in December.
In his lifetime, he had a reputation and sustained hunger for producing awe-inspiring masterpieces with which he attained such irrepressible household peculiarities that have been ritually, dutifully and religiously maintained till his last days. The simple, but profound magic is art practice that bore the gamut of proclivity and proficiency. This arose from his never-say-die nature that inspired him to achieve perfection in his art. Therefore, any narrative devoid of the presence of this giant grandmaster of modern Nigerian – nay African – art will be tantamount to interrupting, upsetting, and forestalling an enchanting folktale precipitated under the moonlight in the receptive presence of an attentive and captivated audience.
Yusuf Grillo was a quintessential fine Lagos Boy. He was born in the Brazilian quarters of Lagos to which his roots are traced. He would later grow up to become synonymous with the famous Yaba College of Technology in Lagos, where he dispensed of his energy and meritorious services to creative discovery, artistic engagement, administrative reengineering, dispensation of priceless skills and unparalleled emancipation of human development.
Grillo had earlier in 1956 enrolled for a four-year Fine Arts course at the Nigerian College of Arts, Science, and Technology, Zaria. He later became an active founding member of the Zaria Art Society popularly known as Zaria Rebels. With this, he and his colleagues such as Uche Okeke (latee), Bruce Onobrakpeya, Demas Nwoko and others were to formulate a new aesthetic paradigm for postcolonial Nigerian art. Their activities had creatively and intellectually produced what has today been widely known as “Natural synthesis.”
Yusuf Grillo, armed with a postgraduate art teacher’s certificate, had begun teaching at the Yaba Technical Institute (now Yaba College of Technology). Known for his artistic brilliance and creative depth combined with sound intellectual capacity, he was an art instructor and administrator per excellence. Rising from one administrative position to another without jettisoning art instruction for which he was deeply admired and respected, Grillo piloted and re-engineered the School of Art of the Yaba College of Technology into what Offoema-Okeke calls “an influential centre of technical and art education in Nigeria.”
Grillo is generally celebrated for standardisation of form, aesthetics and thematic content. In overall appraisal, structure, serenity and illumination have been, in the words of Professor Jerry Buhari of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, “chosen deliberately for the purpose of appreciating those three fundamental characteristics, which are preeminent in his (Grillo) works.”
Grillo’s work thrives more on the pedestal of what can be regarded as cubic interpretation of African form and idiom. The use of angles, mathematical optimization and deliberate instructive lines upholds this inference.
Mentoring activities run in tandem with one of the cardinal obligations of Yusuf Grillo. He mentored so many artists into fruition. His active years at the Yaba College of Technology between 1961 when he joined the College and 1987 when he retired from active academic service presupposes that his mentorship magic continuously churned out solid academically and technically profound artists on a yearly basis.
Be it in painting or sculpture, Yusuf Grillo’s students are known to mesmerize the art market with their deft touch and mastery, which they inherited from their tutor and master. This did not occur overnight neither did it emerge from the vacuum. The task of restructuring the school curriculum along with a few other academics, introduced some admission criteria that was sufficiently liberal for the College to adopt the kind of training that could accommodate a wide range of potential talents. It was a shift from absolute western blueprint to a more beneficial programme with African orientation and philosophy.
Yusuf Grillo is a shining example of rigorous studio activities, tireless art practice, uncompromising professionalism, uninterruptible proficiency, refined mastery, and admirable standard. Each of these attributes is proven beyond reasonable doubts that indeed, a true art recognises known principles and upholds them even when the rules are broken. In his stylistic tendency, Grillo ensures that his figures – males or females – are angularly and structurally moulded (more like carved). His images are structurally carved in painterly form thus creating subtle fascination and appeal. The subtlety of mood as accentuated with use of colour found in his paintings is apparently peculiar. In all, lines play prominent roles to define characters.
In sculpture, he possessed such mastery that sustains accurate anatomy, foliage and absolute humanistic rendition such that have become a lasting hallmark of some unquestionable art masters. Naturalism in Grillo’s oeuvres is taken to the point of virtuosity! He had exhibited his admirable masterpieces extensively in Nigeria and many countries. His works have received positive reviews in local and international newspapers, magazines and journals. His reputation as an artist of international standard has also been structured into academic school curricular in and outside Nigerian shores.
At a personal level, the soft-spoken Yusuf Grillo was never quick to hug publicity. He was a recluse who sparingly attended social gatherings. Some of his public outings were basically conducted to advance specific courses – whether as the first National President of the Society of Nigerian Artists or as an educationist/administrator at the Yaba College of Technology.
Sometime in 1997, he was invited (being one of the Trustees) to one of the activities of the Ajibulu-Moniya Gallery and the African Refugee Foundation, both chaired by his long-standing friend, the late Ambassador Segun Olusola. Grillo sneaked in quietly, but was unexpectedly exposed by his characteristic short-sleeved white French suit. He was approached by some journalists who were delighted to see a rare big masquerade in the night. Without pretence, he gave a smile that suggested his disinterest in publicity. He politely turned the journalists down and quietly assumed a position where there were no distractions.
Grillo would leave his studio to mount his originally created stained glass works in churches, public institutions and private buildings. He was a great master sculptor whose outstanding public sculptures lavishly enjoy public admiration and commendation.
As a teacher of men and women of professional integrity in their different worlds, Grillo had developed, tutored, mentored, groomed, trained and graduated professionals of finesse and class who have successfully practised (and still practising) with thriving careers in art. Abiodun Olaku is an archetypal professional who went through Grillo’s fire of training. Drawing from Grillo’s refined academic and sound artistic training, he never stops speaking glowingly about Grillo and how he painstakingly took them through their learning process in such a way that seemingly difficult areas were broken down with effortless touch of the master.
He says, “Professor Yusuf Grillo is a unique embodiment of humanity within whom traits of eloquent erudition, timeless artistry, radial intellect and knowledge as well as uncommon wisdom, battle for supremacy. For me, it remains an inestimable privilege to have experienced a profoundly nourishing breath of these divine gifts as his student in Yaba College of Technology. This is an inimitable legacy that certainly transcends all contemporary and future global art spheres. It will also outlive generations of Nigerian artists.”
Indeed, the world will miss Professor Yusuf Grillo!
