PART 3
HISTORY AND CONTEXT
Chapter 3.5
Art of Africa and the Pacific Islands
Copyright © 2011 Thames & Hudson
Chapter 3.5 Art of Africa and the Pacific Islands
PART 3
HISTORY AND CONTEXT
Art of Africa
 Africa is a very diverse continent



54 different countries
More than 955 million inhabitants
At least 1,000 different languages
 Oral history has been more important than written
documentation
 African art


Important form of communication and cultural expression
Earliest examples date back 75,000 years ago
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
3.101 Map of Africa
Chapter 3.5 Art of Africa and the Pacific Islands
PART 3
HISTORY AND CONTEXT
Portraits and Power Figures
 Objects are invested with power

Connect with supernatural realm

Indicate authority to rule

Channel supernatural forces that bestow good or ill fortune
 Objects communicate ideas

Directly represent rules and customs

Symbols of a particular role or position

Tell stories
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
3.102 Head from Rafin Kura,
c. 500 BCE–200 CE. Terracotta,
14¼” high. National Museum,
Lagos, Nigeria
3.103 Twin figure, probably from Ado Odo in
Yorubaland, pre-1877 (probably 19th century).
Wood, 10” high. Linden Museum, Stuttgart,
Germany
3.104 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
Chapter 3.5 Art of Africa and the Pacific Islands
PART 3
HISTORY AND CONTEXT
Personal Stories and Symbolism
 In Africa, information has traditionally been shared orally
or visually
 Abstract designs and patterns

Can be read and understood like representational imagery

Symbols, colors, and materials can all communicate specific
information about the maker or user of the artwork
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
3.105 Textile wrapper (kente), 20th century. Silk, 6’10⅝” long. National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington,
D.C.
3.106 Kanaga mask from Mali, Dogon
culture, early 20th century. Polychrome
wood, leather cords, and hide, 45¼”
high. Musée Barbier-Mueller, Geneva,
Switzerland
Chapter 3.5 Art of Africa and the Pacific Islands
PART 3
HISTORY AND CONTEXT
African Architecture
 Many buildings made of perishable materials

Wood

Mud-brick
 Some ceremonial structures have been maintained, but
others have fallen into ruin
 Symbolism and ornamentation of the structures
communicate:

Spiritual concerns

Ties to ancestors

Connections with nature
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
3.107 Monday market, Great Mosque, Djenné, Mali
3.108 Conical Tower, c. 1350–1450,
Great Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe
3.109 Bird on top of stone monolith, 15th century. Soapstone, 14½” high (bird image). Great Zimbabwe Site Museum, Zimbabwe
Chapter 3.5 Art of Africa and the Pacific Islands
PART 3
HISTORY AND CONTEXT
For further insights into the work of African artists, watch:
The Master Sculptors of Benin and Ife
Click the image above to launch the video
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Chapter 3.5 Art of Africa and the Pacific Islands
PART 3
HISTORY AND CONTEXT
Art of the Pacific Islands
 Geographic area covers islands in the Pacific Ocean




Polynesia
Melanesia
Micronesia
Australia
 Artworks include:





Portable objects: jewelry, furniture, weapons
Body ornamentation
Wooden sculpture
Paintings on rock
Ceremonial architecture
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
3.110 Map of the Pacific Islands
Chapter 3.5 Art of Africa and the Pacific Islands
PART 3
HISTORY AND CONTEXT
New Zealand
 Part of Polynesia

Shared beliefs, languages, and customs
 Island south of Australia
 Inhabited by the Maori, who have an elaborate tradition of
tattooing

Earliest preserved bodies with abstract tattoos date to c. 3300 BCE
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
3.111 Sydney Parkinson,
Drawing of traditional Maori
tattoo, from A Journal of a
Voyage to the South Seas
(1784), Pl. 16
3.112 X-ray kangaroo rock painting, c. 1900. Ocher and kaolin paint, 6’9½” high. Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory, Australia
Chapter 3.5 Art of Africa and the Pacific Islands
PART 3
HISTORY AND CONTEXT
Hawaii
 First inhabited by Polynesians from the Marquesas Islands
c. 600 CE
 Tahitian settlers (c. 1100 CE) introduced:

Social hierarchy based on Kapu (or taboo) system

New host of gods and demigods
 King Kamehameha

Unified warring factions during the 18th century
 In 1959 Hawaii became the 50th U.S. state
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
3.113 Feather cloak (Ahu’ula), known as Kearny Cloak, c. 1843. Red, yellow, and black feathers, olona cordage, fiber netting, 55¾”
long. Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii
Chapter 3.5 Art of Africa and the Pacific Islands
PART 3
HISTORY AND CONTEXT
Easter Island
 Polynesian island in the southern Pacific Ocean
 Small, isolated island

15 miles by 7½ miles

1,300 miles off the coast of Chile
 Famous for abstract monolithic stone sculptures called
moai

Meaning “seamount,” “image,” “statue,” or “bearers of the gift”
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
3.114 Moai ancestor figures, Ahu Nau Nau, Easter Island (Chile), before the 15 th century
Chapter 3.5 Art of Africa and the Pacific Islands
PART 3
HISTORY AND CONTEXT
Papua New Guinea
 Part of Melanesia
 Very diverse indigenous population
 The Abelam people live in wetland areas

In northern Papua New Guinea
 Farming is a principal activity

Crops include yams, taro, bananas, and sweet potatoes
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
3.115 Yam mask, Abelam,
Maprik district, Papua New
Guinea. Painted cane, 18⅞”
high. Musée Barbier-Mueller,
Geneva, Switzerland
3.116 Interior of Abelam cult
house, Bongiora, Maprik,
Papua New Guinea,
Melanesia. Museum der
Kulturen, Basle, Switzerland
Chapter 3.5 Art of Africa and the Pacific Islands
PART 3
HISTORY AND CONTEXT
Discussion Question
1. Discuss three artworks that have been used in a ritual
context. Consider how they were made and why they
might have been made that way. You might choose one
work from another chapter in the textbook, for example:
1.158, 4.16, 4.39.
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Copyright © 2011 Thames & Hudson
Chapter 3.5 Art of Africa and the Pacific Islands
PART 3
HISTORY AND CONTEXT
Discussion Question
2. Consider the ways that inanimate objects have been
imbued with power. What has to be done to them for their
power to be activated? What happens to that power over
time? You might choose one work from another chapter in
the textbook, for example: 4.26, 4.43, 4.134.
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Copyright © 2011 Thames & Hudson
Chapter 3.5 Art of Africa and the Pacific Islands
PART 3
HISTORY AND CONTEXT
Discussion Question
3. Choose three artworks connected with family or
ancestors. Consider how the artworks express ideas about
family and ancestors and why these concepts might be
important. You might choose one work from another
chapter in the textbook, for example: 4.16, 4.24, 4.44.
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Copyright © 2011 Thames & Hudson
Chapter 3.5 Art of Africa and the Pacific Islands
PART 3
HISTORY AND CONTEXT
Discussion Question
4. Mythology and legend have been very informative to the
makers of art in these areas. Consider the stories that are
being told according to the evidence we have about the
artworks in this chapter. What kinds of information are
we missing? How might we fill in the blanks?
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts, Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Copyright © 2011 Thames & Hudson
Chapter 3.5 Art of Africa and the Pacific Islands
PART 3
HISTORY AND CONTEXT
This concludes the PowerPoint slide set for Chapter 3.5
Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts
By Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields
Copyright © 2011 Thames & Hudson
PowerPoints developed by CreativeMyndz Multimedia Studios
Chapter 3.5 Art of Africa and the Pacific Islands
PART 3
HISTORY AND CONTEXT
Picture Credits for Chapter 3.5
3.101
3.102
3.103
3.104
3.105
3.106
3.107
3.108
3.109
3.110
3.111
3.112
3.113
3.114
3.115
3.116
Drazen Tomic
National Museum, Lagos
Linden Museum, Stuttgart
Dallas Museum of Art, Foundation for the Arts Collection, Gift of the McDermott Foundation, 1996.184.FA
National Museum of African Art, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.
Musée Barbier-Mueller, Geneva
© JTB Photo Communications, Inc./Alamy
© Chris Howes/Wild Places Photography/Alamy
Photo Barney Wayne
Drazen Tomic
pl. XVI from Parkinson, S., A Journal of a Voyage to the South Seas, 1784
Photo Paul S. C. Tacon
Bishop Museum, Honolulu, Hawaii
iStockphoto.com
Musée Barbier-Mueller, Geneva
Collected by G.F.N. Gerrits, Vb 28418-28471 (1972). Photo Peter Horner 1981
© Museum der Kulturen, Basel, Switzerland
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