African art

Speaking of African art, so that's when it the art of black Africa, which - like the rest of African culture - from the Arab north of the continent, the countries of the Maghreb is different, and includes the artistic production of many very different ethnic groups. The farming systems in Africa, which produced mainly wood sculptures, the climatic conditions and a living space that makes it easy to termites and other pests have delivered almost no historical objects of traditional African art.

Since the artistically designed works of the then colonized the continent were estimated only from the beginning of the 20th century in Europe as objects of authentic cultures, researched and collected especially most of the works in the museums and collections within and outside Africa as well as on the art market with few exceptions not older than 150 years.

Today outdated, discriminatory -sounding terms such as primitivism, African sculpture (Carl Einstein ) or ( in France ) art negre were affirmative tags of classical modernism, the clean lines and the timeless aura of the African objects took as a model.

Basic clarification

The consideration of African art can lead to the investigation of the relevant culture. African culture can be examined in two ways: In the culture internal categorization, the importance of the object, or cultural practice from the perspective of the producer or operator is listed ( emic view ), while a developed outside of Africa terminology is applied, which leads to a projection of the research article on an outer level ( etic approach) where, due to aesthetic categories of the beholder comparisons. This projection actually takes the interpretation anticipated. A " culture-neutral " approach to viewing does not exist.

Particularly problematic are the different perspectives of perception in assessing the masks. These are treated as a means of disguise or adjustment in a play with a certain magic nucleus, with according to culture and within this the type of mask different symbolic reality or share content. Masks can be afraid of a horrible creature on a certain level of perception non- initiated or elsewhere summon a spirit only for the initiated.

In any case, be detached from the culture 's intention under the term African Art classified expressions of material culture according to the categories of appearance, technology and material of different cultures. The understanding of and the degree of approach to African art are difficult to assess.

Traditional Art

The art of the peoples of Africa is firmly connected to mythology, festivals and rituals: the world of the ancestors and gods lives on in art. Most of the masks and figures are considered to be a protection against evil forces and diseases. They are worn at harvest festivals or other ceremonial ceremonies ( circumcision ritual feasts in honor of individual gods, ancestral memory, etc.). Some figures are also symbols of fertility.

Objects Got the artistic design are especially Masks and headdresses, ceremonial rods and rod attachments, whether thrones or Stools ( caryatid stool ), grave statues and ancestral figures, ritual statuettes, fetishes and reliquaries and carved doors.

The most important art centers spread across the area following today's nation-states:

Early civilizations

The origins of African art lie in the early history of the continent. Rock carvings in the Sahara (Niger ) as the Dabous Giraffes are some 8,000 years old. The earliest known sculptures are from the Nok culture of Nigeria and came to about 500 BC The Art of Ancient Egypt influenced the design of objects that have been sub-Saharan made ​​. Pictured was the abundant natural with simultaneous tendency towards abstraction in the representation of animals, plants or natural forms. Around the 13th century created more complex methods of producing art, coupled with the spread of Islam and its vocabulary. Bronze and brass castings, often decorated with ivory or precious stones, was valued in many parts of West Africa. The artists were often at royal courts operate like those of Benin.

West Africa

Sudanese savannah

In many regions of Africa, where Islamic and European colonizers have imposed their culture, traditions sculptor of the 19th century and earlier periods are extinct. Nevertheless, there are still groups that maintain their traditional rites and make the necessary items. The sculpture west of the Niger can be roughly divided into two major groups: the ethnic groups, the Mandé and those who speak a Gur language. The former use the masks, especially at initiation rites and funeral ceremonies. They prefer simple geometric shapes, a T- shaped junction of nose and eyebrow and on flat cheeks high -set eyes. Dark colors are some exceptions used or the wood natural. The surface is often scorched black or decorated with scars that are branded with a hot blade. Ganzfigürliche sculptures consist of cylindrical torsos and parallel to the upper body out arms that are angled forward.

The masks of the Gur -speaking ethnic groups of Burkina Faso, Togo and Ghana, however, belong to the families and clans. In addition to initiation and funeral rituals, they are also used in dances used, in which the history of the clan and its members is told. They are designed with black, white and red patterns that are refreshed before each use. Striking are concentric circles around the eyes. Some wear masks high, flat boards. There are also horizontal masks before, represent the properties of different animals, and carved " hairstyles ", similar to the actual hairstyle of the women of the region.

The northern and western coast of Guinea

The eastern coast of Guinea

The Atlantic Equatorial Africa

The Zairebecken

East Africa

Contemporary Art

Since those referred to as peripheral margins of the art world over the known centers are increasingly brought to the fore in the Western art discourses, also get the contemporary artists from African countries more attention. In Dakar ( Senegal) and Johannesburg (South Africa) find art biennials with international involvement. The Nigerian native, who lives in New York and Mexico City curator Okwui Enwezor headed both the 2nd Johannesburg Biennale as the documenta 11 in Kassel.

Some internationally successful contemporary artists from African countries:

  • Manuela Sambo (Angola)
  • Georges Adéagbo (Benin)
  • Eric Adjetey Anang (Ghana)
  • Zarina Bhimji (Uganda / UK )
  • Bruce Onobrakpeya (Nigeria )
  • Mbongeni Buthelezi (South Africa)
  • Mo Edoga ( Nigeria / Germany )
  • Yinka Shonibare ( Nigeria / UK )
  • Jane Alexander ( artist) ( South Africa)
  • William Kentridge (South Africa)
  • Sokari Douglas Camp ( Nigeria / UK )
  • Didier A. Ahadsi (Togo)
  • Cheri Cherin (Dem. Republic of Congo)
  • Meschac Gaba (Benin / Netherlands)
  • Dominique Kouas ( Bénin )
  • Hassan Musa (Sudan / France)
  • Bakri Billal (Sudan)
  • Ghada Amer (Egypt / USA)
  • El Anatsui (Ghana / Nigeria)
  • Kwesi Owusu Ankomah (Ghana / Germany )
  • Ingrid Mwangi ( Kenya / Germany )
  • Andries Botha (South Africa)
  • Mike Omoighe (Nigeria )
  • Zwelethu Mthethwa (South Africa)
  • Frédéric Bruly Bouabré (Ivory Coast)
  • Marlene Dumas ( South Africa / Netherlands)
  • Chéri Samba ( Demokrat. Republic of Congo / France)
  • Gilbert G. groud (Ivory Coast)
  • Chidi Kwubiri ( Nigeria / Germany )

Applied Arts

Contemporary similar or modified replicas of everyday objects and artifacts in large numbers, which are sold as souvenirs, are considered to Airport Art

See also: Batik, Bogolan

Museums and collections of African art

  • Rietberg Museum, Zurich
  • Iwalewa House
  • Quai Branly Museum, Paris
  • Africa Museum, Berg en Dal, The Netherlands
  • Royal Museum for Central Africa, Tervuren, Belgium
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