Here, the rich blue gouache and the iridescence of the aluminum foil create a surreal scene of a snake charmer that confronts stereotypical conceptions of North Africa as seen in nineteenth-century Orientalist European paintings. Rather than exoticizing the setting, Chris Ofili focuses on mysticism and its representation through color and the contrast of light and dark. Charmant Three is part of a series of works, using the same materials and subject, in which Ofili explores new understandings of visual histories of Africa and the diaspora.