Upload
kiya-pettus
View
219
Download
2
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Historical Background
0Africa has more indiginous languages than any other location
0Plagued by war and fighting (Hutus in Rwanda)0Associates with a culture or ethnicity, not a country0Scramble for Africa0Phoenicians and Carthaginians0 “Bilal al-Sudan”
http://media.pearsoncmg.com/ph/hss/SSA_SHARED_MEDIA_1/art/MAL/videos/process_videos/WaxCast-large.html
Lost-Wax Casting
Crowned Head of a King
Ife, Yoruba,12th cent, Zinc Brass, 9 7/16”
• The city of Ife is also called the “navel of the world” because Yoruba belief states that the oni (king) oduduwa created Earth from Ife.
• This is cast with zinc brass using the lost wax casting method.
• The crown indicates that the head is of a king but the soft features noticeable around the nose and mouth imply that the head is actually female.
• Scarification can be seen in parallel lines running down the face
• A hole can be found in the neck. These holes are most likely used to attach a larger body
• Leo Frobenius believed that this artwork was from the lost city of Atlantis because of how naturalistic it was. (Europeans didn’t believe that African artwork could be so naturalistic)
• Some art historians argue that the head is an idealized image of beauty and not a portrait of a specific king
Dancers in Ceremonial Attire
Rock-wall painting, Tassili-n-Ajjer, Algeria, 5000 BCE
• Early African art started with Rock art.
• This rock painting shows the dancers wearing masks and decorative clothing that suggest they are involved in a ritual
• The horses in the second painting show introduction of other cultures because horses were not common in Africa
Head from Nok
Nok, 500 BCE-200 CE, Terra Cotta, 36 cm
• The Nok civilization is known for the first evidence of iron technology
• The earliest known sculptures of sub-Saharan Africa come from the Nok
• The head is larger than a real head and is part of a complete human sculpture
• A convention found in Nok art is D-shape of the eyes.
• The buns on the head have holes to hold decorations such as feathers
• Many Nok sculptures are also highly decorated with jewelry
Burial Chamber at Igbo-Ukwu
Recreation
• The Igbo-Ukwu civilization, known of their use of copper alloy, is located in Eastern Nigeria.
• The excavation at Igbo-Ukwu revealed a burial chamber containing an individual dressed in royal clothing sitting on a chair surrounded by expensive objects that symbolizes his power
• Ivory and imported beads are some of the expensive objects
• The fly whisk, staff, and fan held by the individual are symbols of his power
Nkisi NkondeDRC, 30”, Wood and Nails
• This is from the Bantu located in the Kongo basin
• Nkisi Nkondes are dolls used to communicate with the dead in the Kongo religion
• A convention of Nkisi Nkondes is the large amount of nails inserted into them
• Nkisi Nkondes are also used to represent power and are used in rituals
Hip Mask Representing an Iyoba (Queen Mother)
Benin, 1550 CE, Ivory, Iron, and copper, 9.25”
• This is an example of Benin art• An Iyoba is a queen mother• This mask is used as a belt ornament
worn by an oba• The two lines on the mask forehead
show scarification, a convention of early African art
• This particular mask is possible Idia, the mother of Esigie who was an oba
• Idia is known for raising an army and using magic to help her son defeat his enemies
• The Portuguese men that helped Esigie expand his kingdom are on the mask’s necklace