Amadou Sanogo’s practice is deeply connected to his home country and Senoufo origins. He has referenced Bambara proverbs and alluded to Mali’s political and social issues in many of his works. By contrast, Le Regret feels universal, showing the weight of disillusion; a boxer quitting his fight. The glove is a metaphor for the combat of everyday life, Sanogo told us when we met him in Bamako. The figure’s posture/stance in the painting is what drew us to it. Far from invoking defeat and regret, the painting seemed an echo of William’s Blake’s Newton and his distinctive, meditative pose. The evident turmoil of the figure’s muscle and skin were another draw.
