Art of Africa & Pacific Islands

Art Appreciation, T, R, 9:30-10:50AM, Professor Paige Prater

Art of Africa: Map it!

Art of Africa: CHALLENGES

54 different countries, 955 million inhabitants, 1,000+ languages!

Wood Myth of “Primitive” art Contemporary traditions Oral histories Still discovering…

Ocher pigment + perforated shells; 70,000 years ago!

Nok: 500 BCE – 200 CE

Earliest evidence of iron technology (western Sudan, present-day Nigeria)

Head: center of identity & knowledge

Terracotta Head, Nok, 500BCE-200CE, 36cm, National Museum, Lagos, Nigeria

Ife (Yoruba peoples)

Sculpture (and dolls)

Crowned Head of a King, Ife, Yoruba, c. 12th- 15th century CE, Zinc brass, lost-wax method

Twin figure, probably from Ado Odo in Yorubaland, pre-1877 (probably 19th century). Wood, 10” high. Linden Museum, Stuttgart, Germany

Benin City, 150 miles southeast of

Ife Oral histories: 1170 CE,

Prince Oranimiyan sent to rule Benin (by oni of Ife).

1485 – Portugal begins trading with Benin Ivory, forest products…slaves

1897 – British sacked/burned royal palace after massacre of trade negotiators Early Period: 1400-1550

(influenced by Ife) Middle Period: 1550-1700CE

(increasingly stylized) Late Period: 1700-1897CE

(large/heavy)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tmrdunRXfbw

Plaque: Warrior Chief Flanked by Warriors and Attendants, Benin, Nigeria, 1550-1650CE, Brass

Benin – 16th century

Head= symbolic center of: Wisdom Intelligence Spiritual

communication King-like “Great

Head”

Memorial Head of an Oba, Benin, 16th century, brass, 9”

Yombe People Mediator Ritualistic Minkisi nkondi:

shells, bags, pots, or wooden statues Nkisi Mangaaka:

standing figure with magical properties; “activate”

Cowrie shell: currency, power, fertility

Standing male figure (nkisi Mangaaka), late 19th century. Wood, iron, raffia, ceramic, kaolin pigment, red camwood powder (tukula), resin, dirt, leaves, animal skin, and cowrie shell, 43¾ × 15½ × 11”. Dallas Museum of Art, Texas

Djenné (in Mali) – 200 CE - Present

Great Friday Mosque, 13th century (rebuilt 1907)

Great Zimbabwe Conical Tower in

Imba Huru or “Great Enclosure” 18’ diameter on

tower 30’ high 800 ft long

masonry wall▪ 17’ feet thick base

1200-1400CE Shrine?

Residence?

Great Zimbabwe: 1200-1400 CE

One of 8 soapstone carvings found on the top of Great Zimbabwe

5’ tall Bird, human, crocodile

characteristics Shona people:

birds=messengers from the spirits

Ghana: textiles Akan and Asante, west

African kingdoms Kente – worn by

royalty/state officials Complicated weaving

process http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0zlvW7o9

6I&list=PL0583B24FF6EA1A87 Color:

Yellow: holy, precious Gold: royalty, wealth,

spiritual purity Green: growth/health Red: strong feelings

(political/spiritual)Textile wrapper (kente), 20th century. Silk, 6’10⅝” long. National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

Kongo: textiles

1482 – Portuguese encounter

Early 17th century 9 ½” x 28 ¼”,

raffia

Dogon of Mali: masks

Earthly and cosmic realms: crossbars

Loud performances Only for tourists,

today http://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=whAY9R-_7ac

Kanaga mask from Mali, Dogon culture, early 20th century. Polychrome wood, leather cords, and hide, 45¼” high. Musée Barbier-Mueller, Geneva, Switzerland

Art of the Pacific Islands

Art of the Pacific Islands: GROUP WORK

5 Groups: 1. take example from textbook/2. compare to another work we’ve

studied3. Apply principles/elements of art

New Zealand Australia Hawaii Easter Island Papua New Guinea

New Zealand

Australia

Hawaii

Easter Island

Papua New Guinea