AFRICA
a Greek proverb: ex Africa semper aliquid novi
CONTENT AREA 6 – 1100 – 1980 C.E.
STYLE OF
AFRICAN ART
• Art was part of all important aspects of society
 Coming of age, leadership, family communion
• Art was meant to be a spiritual encounter
 Often used in rituals and worship
• Small and portable figures and pieces are common
• Often made of wood and accessorized with feathers, fabric,
and beads
• Bodies are unrealistic
 Fingers are rarely used
• Important sculpture is made for a definite purpose, not for
decoration
 Masks represent a particular spirit, that only comes alive during
ceremonies
The
Art – Conical tower and circular wall
-Granite
-Modeled on traditional shapes of
grain silos
-control over food stores is a
powerful thing
- likely a royal residence
-walls slope inward toward the top
-internal and external passageways
The
Art - Great Mosque of Djenné
-central tower is a mihrab
-adobe-type building, quite large an impressive for its constructive
style
-UNESCO World Heritage Site
-rebuilt multiple times over the centuries
mih·rab (mîr′əb)n.
A niche in the wall of a mosque or a room in the mosque that indicates the
direction of Mecca
The
Art - Wall plaque from Oba’s palace
-high relief, brass
-used to decorate the walls of the royal
palace
-displayed aspects of court life
-largest, central figure is the most important
The
Art – Sika Dwa Kofi – Golden Stool
-wooden substructure, golden
coating and details
-contains the “soul of the nation”
-can be touched by the King alone
The
Art – Ndop – Portrait Figure
-wooden
-commemorative portrait of the Kuba
ruler at the time
The
Art – Nkisi n’kondi – Power Figure
-wood and metal
-sacred and divine spiritual protection
for the people
-a container of sacred substances
The
Art – Female (Pwo) Mask
-The Democratic Republic of the
Congo
-worn by men but intended to honor
child-bearing, courageous, women
-worn with slow, graceful, fluid
movements
-she deserves respect
The
Art – Portrait Mask - Mblo
-made on Cote d’Ivoire
-”nuanced individuality, highly refined
details, and powerful presence”
-serenity
The
Art – Bundu Mask
-worn by women during cultural ceremonies
-Sierra Leone, Liberia
-made to help young girls become women
and housewives – an initiation
-black, shiny surface is ideal
-elaborate hairstyle
The
Art – Ikenga shrine figure
-stood for the power of the right hand
-personal objects that related to the
achievements of its commissioner
-the right hand (often)holds the sword,
the power to push through life and break
barriers
”A RAM FIGHTS
WITH HIS HEAD FIRST”
The
Art – Lukasa – Memory Board
-portable wooden object
-”concept map” of society’s political
structure and inner workings (Luba society)
-incised designs, images carved in relief
-human faces (depicitions of important
members of society) are evident
The
Art – Aka Elephant Mask
-use in performance and celebrations to
honor the ruler
-worn with full costume
-highly stylized
-worn in Cameroon, used to suggest the
power of the king
The
Art – Reliquary Guardian Figure
-wooden
-guarded a container for relics and
mementoes that had great weight for their
owners
-balance between calm, reserved
appearance and obvious physical power
represented in the sculpture
-not “natural” – an abstraction
RELIQUARY OF
SAINTE-FOY
-housed in Conques, France
-Sainte Foy was a Roman martyred during 303
C.E.’s Diocletian persecutions
-figure of a masculine woman
-still contains relics
-last remaining example of its type
-head is distinctly late Roman
-possibly death mask of Charlemagne
rel•i•quar•y
/ˈreləˌkwerē/
noun
BYERI
RELIQUARY
FIGURE IN
CAMEROON
-counter to Western traditions of naturalism and
realism (accurate portrayal of the human form)
-reduced to a series of basic shapes
-grasped hands indicate sense of tense anxiety
-positioned atop wooden boxes and cylinders
containing relics
-meant to guard the sacred objects from danger
and intrusion
A container for holy relics, a container or
shrine in which sacred relics are kept.
In Christianity, reliquaries are a means for
protecting and displaying relics, items often
associated with saints or other figures or great
relevance. Relics are…
“MORE VALUABLE THAN
PRECIOUS STONES
AND MORE TO BE ESTEEMED
THAN GOLD.”
The
Artist - Olowe of Ise
-Born – 1875, Died – 1938
-important artist of Yoruba
people
-carved wood for rulers of
a Nigerian kingdom
The
Art – Veranda post of Enthroned King
and Senior Wife
-intended to be a structural
support in a palace
-designed by the
aforementioned artist in SW
Nigeria
-king is center focus, but others
offer support
-scale of the wife implies
importance
THEME: Family
Veranda Post of Enthroned King and Senior
Wife, Sarcophagus of the Spouses
Etruscan
• Both represented common ritual
among cultures
– Veranda Post: coronation
– Sarcophagus of the Spouses: banquet
• Portrays relationship between
husband and wife
– Veranda Post: wife crowned king,
position and size signify importance
– Sarcophagus of the Spouses:
supportive
“IN AFRICAN ART,
IT’S OFTEN NOT SO
MUCH ABOUT WHAT THE
FIGURE LOOKS LIKE
BUT RATHER THE CONCEPT IT’S
TRYING TO CONVEY.”
RESOURCES EMPLOYED
→Barron’s AP Art History, 3rd Edition
→The AP Art History Curriculum Framework – Content Area 6
– Africa
→https://www.khanacademy.org/