'Navaga' is a key example of AfriCOBRA, an aesthetic rooted in the culture of Chicago's Black neighborhoods of the late 60's and 70's. Formed on the South Side of Chicago in 1968 by Wadsworth & his wife Jae Jarrell (as well as other Black artists) at the height of the civil rights, Black power, and Black arts movements, the AfriCOBRA collective utilized vibrant color, often referred to as "Cool Ade” colors to capture the rhythmic dynamism of Black culture and social life.

Painted in 1974, around the same time as the original AfriCOBRA exhibition, AFRICOBRA III, 'Navaga' was deeply influenced by Wadsworth Jarrell's time at Howard University, where he studied African art and culture. It was here that he began to explore more abstract human figures, adopting into his canvases the imagery and symbolism of the Senufo people of the Ivory Coast, a small country in West Africa. In 'Navaga', Jarrell is displaying abstracted human figures similar to the style of Senufo sculpture. Unlike his earlier presentation of human figures, which met the approved Western proportions, his 'Navaga', (or "master woodcarver" in Senufo) has more abstracted proportions; the head and torso are slim and elongated, and the legs are short and bent at the knees. The bent knees and right hand holding an adz (used to carve a Senufo cane or staff of leadership), suggest movement or animation. Central to 'Navaga' is this “rhythm” expressed through the “organic looking, feeling forms,” alluding directly to African music and movement. The woodcarver's face is that of Jarrell's father, taken from a photograph, and further abstracted in the Senufo style. The words "Navaga," "Koule," and "Master" streak outward from his father's head. Used throughout are African geometric shapes, patterns, and symbols in a range of vivid colors; orange, strawberry, cherry, lemon, lime, and grape. The inclusion of painted or printed language intertwined the meaning of the painting directly with the image. The AfriCOBRA collective challenged the 1970s conceptions of art by developing an artistic philosophy and approach wholly divested of approved Western practices. This new style diverted from existing and popular aesthetics of social realism, or the popular imagery of “pop,” While many artists of the 70s were turning towards color-field painting, and encouraging the absence of imagery or use of complex colors, Jarrell and other AfriCOBRA members were adding to their art as much as possible; reviving an entirely African aesthetic.

Wadsworth Jarrell (b. 1929, Albany, GA) is a painter, photographer and founding member of AfriCOBRA, a Chicago-based collective of black artists who developed their own visual aesthetic in the art world to empower black communities. Wadsworth’s pattern-intensive portraits, combining vibrant colors and Black Power slogans, depict his drive for political activism. He documented the musical life that flourished in Chicago in the late 1960s-1970s and was a member of the Organization of Black American Culture that painted the “Rhythm and Blues” section of The Wall of Respect mural in the South Side of Chicago. Currently, he continues to experiment in his practice with past and present topics surrounding Blackness.