![]() The fact is that most are created to continue established traditions and to be used alongside daily and religious rituals. Some others document historical events or symbolize royal power ( Aka Bamileke mask ). Some of their functions go from a suggestion of the spiritual to guard and protect ( Bugle Dan mask ) to pay tribute to a loved one ( Mblo Baule mask ) or venerate a deity to reflect on death and the afterlife or address gender roles in society ( Pwo Chokwe mask & Bundu Mende mask ). While functions vary from region to region, most masks become ‘activated’ through a performance of dance, songs, and ululations. They are indeed, imbued with supernatural powers and a symbolic significance that exceeds their physical representation. Every item is created to perform either a spiritual or civil function. Therefore, the role of traditional African art is never merely decorative, but functional. ![]() The art of Africa is mostly utilitarian and can be seen on everyday items, but it also plays an active role in rituals when commissioned by a shaman or a worshiper. But the relationship between the physical and the spiritual turns very much tangible in their practices. Their art encompasses a wide variety of media and performances while addressing mostly the spiritual world. Or at least, it wasn’t when the 20th-century western artists started to wander for inspiration in the richness of the African Continent. “Out of limitations, new forms emerge” -Georges BraqueĪrt That Functions: African Masks Dan tribe mask activated through sacred dance performance at Fête des Masques in Ivory CoastĪrt for art’s sake is not big in Africa. Instead, they cared about representing what they ‘knew’ rather than what they ‘saw.’ Contrasting from the Western tradition, African art was not concerned with the canonical ideals of beauty nor with the idea of rendering nature with fidelity to reality. Modern artists were also attracted to African art because it signified an opportunity to escape the rigid and outdated traditions that governed the artistic practice of 19 th -century Western academic painting. We could even say that the enthusiasm for African masks and sculptures was the common denominator among young artists during the artistic revolution that reached its peak before WWI.īut that wasn’t the only reason. This rapid proliferation allowed European artists to come in contact with African art and its unprecedented aesthetics.īut why were cubist artists so attracted to African art? The African sophisticated abstraction of the human figure inspired and encouraged many artists at the turn of the 20 th century to rebelliously break from tradition. African replicas of these objects became so popular during this time that they would even replace some Greco-Roman antiquities that adorned the studios of some academic artists. Countless original masks and sculptures were widely smuggled and sold among Western societies. In effect, African art favors abstract shapes over realistic forms, to the extent that even most of its three-dimensional sculptures, would portray a two-dimensional appearance.īritish soldiers with looted artifacts from Benin, 1897, via The British Museum, LondonĪfter colonial expeditions, some of the most precious and sacred objects of Africa were brought to Europe. Instead of showing a figure from a single perspective, African carvers combined several features of the subject so that they could be simultaneously seen. The malleability of these materials allowed for sharp cuts and expressive incisions that resulted in brusque linear carvings and faceted sculptures in-the-round. The impact of African art’s intense expression, structural clarity, and simplified forms inspired these artists to create fragmented geometrical compositions full of overlapping planes.Īfrican artists often implemented wood, ivory, and metal to create traditional masks, sculptures, and plaques. The pioneers of this new approach were Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, who were highly influenced by their first encounters with African masks and Paul Cézanne ’s systematic paintings. However, all of these formal characteristics have also been attributed to artworks of the Cubism movement. African Art Carvers: The First Cubists Bust of a Woman by Pablo Picasso, 1932, via MoMA, New York (left) with Pablo Picasso with a Cigarette, Cannes by Lucien Clergue, 1956, via Indianapolis Museum of Art (center) and Lwalwa Mask, Democratic Republic of Congo, via Sotheby’s (right)Īfrican art has often been described as abstract, exaggerated, dramatic and stylized.
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