10 Things You Never Guessed About African Art
African Art - not always Black art: The past few years have changed the way African art and handicrafts are perceived.
Until recently, art from the African continent was not considered African art unless it originated with Black Africans.
In fact, it comes from all over Africa: Well you might think you guessed that.
But most of us in the West (and indeed the art world) traditionally ignored the fact that non-Black North African art, Egyptian art and art from the horn area were also being produced on the continent.
South and Southern African art is also increasingly in popularity as it becomes cheaper to ship.
So, historians and art experts are now trying to put African art in a different light.
African art has now been re-defined as any art made on the African continent to reflect the diversity of the people of Africa.
African Art: Not Art for Art's Sake - African art and handicrafts are looked at by non-Africans solely as wonderful works of art.
However, Africans traditionally did not set out to create a piece of art but rather they created an item for a purpose.
The purpose could be anything including utilitarian, religious, symbolic or celebratory.
Today, African artists not only create for traditional reasons but for the world market.
Picasso's real inspiration: Now get ready for some real surprises.
When the Europeans first encountered African art, they termed it primitive.
Little did the Europeans understand that African masks were very important to African culture and tradition; even as late as the mid-1900s art critics berated African artists for mimicking Picasso and other modern artists.
Later it became known that quite to the contrary, it was Picasso who was inspired by African art.
African art has simply not been given the respect and credit it was due to it! "The Mask": it's Real! Most prized of all African art treasures are African masks.
These wonderful masks were made by cultures all over Africa.
Today, they continue to be made for both ceremonial reasons and for the market.
Many masks hang in museums around the world.
Here we can see masks that portray spirits of animals and departed ancestors.
Masks were believed to endow the wearer with special powers.
The mask was only a part of the costume worn by the trained performer for ceremonies that would have been elaborately choreographed to vibrant music and stylized dances.
Mask ceremonies were one way the tribe passed on religious, moral and social values for the community.
Female Fertility: It's for Men too - The Nimba Mask: One of most fascinating, ironic masks is the Baga tribal Nimba mask of female fertility.
This is a truly massive mask representing life giving fertility with the pendulous flat breasts represent nurturing motherhood that has suckled many children.
The Nimba represents the Baga idea of the perfect woman with braided hair and decorative scarification on her face.
The Nimba mask is worn at rice planting and harvest time when ironically, MEN compete to wear the mask.
The Supernatural power to pull a good joke! The Goli Kplekple Mask: Masks are not all serious, some represent jokester spirits.
The Goli Kplekple mask is worn by male dancers of junior rank in the Goli spirit dance.
As junior dancers are of low status compared to those who wear important masks, this mask is a simple disc shape with little or no ornamentation.
The wearer of the Goli Kplekple mask is allowed to chase the young village women around in play.
Art diverse as the world around us: African handicrafts run the gamut from textiles, woven baskets and terra cotta sculpture to wood carvings and wood sculpture plus a wide array of items for everyday use.
Africans in general have had to "make do" with whatever was available to them and they have excelled at making what they need with these available materials.
Long considered by Africans to be functional or ceremonial, the rest of the world hails their work purely as art.
Africa's Art: modern and made today African art isn't just about tribal ceremony.
In fact, as in all art, there are artists producing poignant political critiques on current events, and there are artists producing gorgeous functional accessories.
In the realm of handicrafts, a personal favorite is an African entry into bathroom decor.
Two elephants stand facing each other with trunks extended to hold the roll of paper.
Made of recycled metal, these particular handicraft are particularly symbolic of Africa's reinvigoration and vitality in taking its cultures into the modern age.
Until recently, art from the African continent was not considered African art unless it originated with Black Africans.
In fact, it comes from all over Africa: Well you might think you guessed that.
But most of us in the West (and indeed the art world) traditionally ignored the fact that non-Black North African art, Egyptian art and art from the horn area were also being produced on the continent.
South and Southern African art is also increasingly in popularity as it becomes cheaper to ship.
So, historians and art experts are now trying to put African art in a different light.
African art has now been re-defined as any art made on the African continent to reflect the diversity of the people of Africa.
African Art: Not Art for Art's Sake - African art and handicrafts are looked at by non-Africans solely as wonderful works of art.
However, Africans traditionally did not set out to create a piece of art but rather they created an item for a purpose.
The purpose could be anything including utilitarian, religious, symbolic or celebratory.
Today, African artists not only create for traditional reasons but for the world market.
Picasso's real inspiration: Now get ready for some real surprises.
When the Europeans first encountered African art, they termed it primitive.
Little did the Europeans understand that African masks were very important to African culture and tradition; even as late as the mid-1900s art critics berated African artists for mimicking Picasso and other modern artists.
Later it became known that quite to the contrary, it was Picasso who was inspired by African art.
African art has simply not been given the respect and credit it was due to it! "The Mask": it's Real! Most prized of all African art treasures are African masks.
These wonderful masks were made by cultures all over Africa.
Today, they continue to be made for both ceremonial reasons and for the market.
Many masks hang in museums around the world.
Here we can see masks that portray spirits of animals and departed ancestors.
Masks were believed to endow the wearer with special powers.
The mask was only a part of the costume worn by the trained performer for ceremonies that would have been elaborately choreographed to vibrant music and stylized dances.
Mask ceremonies were one way the tribe passed on religious, moral and social values for the community.
Female Fertility: It's for Men too - The Nimba Mask: One of most fascinating, ironic masks is the Baga tribal Nimba mask of female fertility.
This is a truly massive mask representing life giving fertility with the pendulous flat breasts represent nurturing motherhood that has suckled many children.
The Nimba represents the Baga idea of the perfect woman with braided hair and decorative scarification on her face.
The Nimba mask is worn at rice planting and harvest time when ironically, MEN compete to wear the mask.
The Supernatural power to pull a good joke! The Goli Kplekple Mask: Masks are not all serious, some represent jokester spirits.
The Goli Kplekple mask is worn by male dancers of junior rank in the Goli spirit dance.
As junior dancers are of low status compared to those who wear important masks, this mask is a simple disc shape with little or no ornamentation.
The wearer of the Goli Kplekple mask is allowed to chase the young village women around in play.
Art diverse as the world around us: African handicrafts run the gamut from textiles, woven baskets and terra cotta sculpture to wood carvings and wood sculpture plus a wide array of items for everyday use.
Africans in general have had to "make do" with whatever was available to them and they have excelled at making what they need with these available materials.
Long considered by Africans to be functional or ceremonial, the rest of the world hails their work purely as art.
Africa's Art: modern and made today African art isn't just about tribal ceremony.
In fact, as in all art, there are artists producing poignant political critiques on current events, and there are artists producing gorgeous functional accessories.
In the realm of handicrafts, a personal favorite is an African entry into bathroom decor.
Two elephants stand facing each other with trunks extended to hold the roll of paper.
Made of recycled metal, these particular handicraft are particularly symbolic of Africa's reinvigoration and vitality in taking its cultures into the modern age.
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