All You Ever Wanted to Learn About African Art

Part IIExploration, Colonization, and IndependenceBy: Liz, Jack, and Brandon

Wood and Child in TowBy: Cyprian Ogambi (modern day, Kenya)

A Little Review

Nok head, terra cotta, Nigeria, 5th century BCE

King, from Ife, Nigeria, 11th-12th century, zinc-brass alloy

Saltcellar by: Master of the Symbolic Execution, Sapi-Portugese, from Sierra Leone, 15-16th century

European Contact First: Portugal, late

15th Century Early Contact Period:

15th-19th century Slave Trade Islam vs. Christianity Imperialism/

Colonialism- Africa divided into pie slices

Context and Meaning Many African pieces

taken out of context Important to remember

original function and location of piece

Where you view a piece of African art, from what angle, and who you are plays a huge role in interpretation (similar to modern art)

Functionality depends on place

Example of Functionality and Importance of Context

• Samburu Kenya• Costumes, hairstyles, jewelry- gender specific, age

specific, status specific• Each part of their outfit is symbolic of their background

Conventionalization and Gender Roles

Each group had strict artistic conventions

Men are ironsmiths, architects, carver; Women are wall and body painters, potters, sculptors

Some art is collaborative (ex) Akan peoples of

Ghana

Ceramic Ancestral Portrait, created by a woman

Two shrine figures (akua mma), Asante, Ghana, Wood

Themes Veneration of Ancestors Power of Kings “Aesthetic Overload” Spirituality of Art Education of Youth Aiding the Community Continuity of Life

Veneration of Ancestors Royal Ancestor Altar,

Benin, Nigeria Finest materials used King’s head-

symbolic Hierarchal

Positioning

Primordial Dogon Ancestors Dogon- Mali Man and Woman on

common base Depiction of Gender

roles Simplified body structure Fertility gestures Symbolic and spiritual

function

Igbo Houses for the Gods Nature Gods demanded

houses to be made Mbari house- made of

Adobe, spiritual purpose Thunder god Amadioha and

his wife Fusion of modernity and

tradition Mbari houses return to the

earth

Male Figures (ndop) Representing King Kot

a-Ntshey Kuba, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Artistic tradition Figures placed next to

an ailing king near death to absorb life essence

Kept in wives’ quarters

Nail Figure Kongo Embodied specific spirits to

heal or harm Power shown in symbolic

cowrie shell Villagers held figures in awe Purpose: evoke ancestors

for guidance and help

Masquerades Crucial to African society Masks held power and societal

status Usually used for education and

entertainment Masquerades- strongly ritualized

dramas Men control masks in most

societies Administrated justice in some

societies

Satimbe Mask Dogon, Mali Creation story

illustrated Used every 3-6 years Dama ceremony-

commemorate those who had died since the last Dama

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-a22Lk5HDo

Female headdress (D’amba dance) and Male Mask Baga Sitemu, Guinea D’amba mask shows

ideal Baga woman (bears many healthy children)

Male Banda mask embodies power symbols representative of males

Female Mask Mende, Sierra Leone Ideal feminine

characteristics Unusual preference for

female maskers in this society

Maskers are teachers, mentors, initiators

Three horned bush-spirit mask (Bo nun amuin) Baule, Cote d’Ivoire Animal imagery Spiritual power Male-oriented bush

life Costume usually

made of raffia- a bush material (wild over civilized)

African Art Today Colonial

governments caused erosion of leadership arts in African culture

Increased secularization

Traditional values still present, not as relevant in modern society

Art reflects societal changes

Coffin in shape of hen with chicks By: Kane Kwei Ghana, 1989 Functionality Wooden Caskets for the

Ga people Coffin is for a senior

woman with a large family Decorated other objects

Ta Tele By: Trigo Piula Democratic Republic of the Congo 1988 International style Fuses Western and Congolese

cultures Traditional Kongo power figure (nkisi

nduda) stands in front Television has deadened

contemporary Congolese peoples’ minds with the need for modern commodities

African Art Transforms Europe

Henri Matisse’s The Young Sailor1906

Runner Mask from The Dan(Ivory Coast)

African Art Transforms Europe

Pablo Picasso’s Pregnant Woman1950

Ancestral figure, Kongo, nineteenth and twentieth centuries

African Art Transforms Modern Artists

Romare Bearden’s The Woodshed1963

Reliquary Guardian Figure (Mbulu-Ngulu),Kota, from Gabon, 19-20th century

Vocabulary Masquerade- A ritualized drama performed by

several masked dancers, embodying ancestors or nature spirits

Akua ba- small wooden fertility figures carved by Asante men in Ghana

Ndop- A male figure commemorating a living or dead King, carved by the Kuba people of the Congo

Genetrix- a legendary founding Clan mother Bo nun Amuin- Composite imagery animal masks

created by the Baule people of the Cote D’Ivoire. Represents the spirit power of the bush