art appreciation 2014 - 2015 november 2014 african art a trip around the world
TRANSCRIPT
Art Appreciation 2014 - 2015
November 2014 African Art
A Trip Around the World
Art Appreciation - A Trip Around the World
2nd Stop: AFRICA
Charlotte, NC
#1: Latin America
#2: Africa
Africa covers of 1/5 of the land on earth. More than 1,000 different languages are spoken here. Art produced here is typically utilitarian and meant to be used, not just observed
African masks usually have spiritual and religious meaning
Used in ritual dances and social and religious events
A special status is attributed to the artists that create masks and to those that wear them in ceremonies
Mask-making is an art often passed from father to son, along with the knowledge of the symbolic meanings conveyed by such masks
The most commonly used material for masks is wood, although a wide variety of other elements can be used, including light stone or metals like bronze & copper
Dogon Kananga Ceremonial MaskMali, AfricaWood & Pigment
African Art Masks
• Mask used in Dama dance performed by the Dogon people of Mali, Africa• Belief that without the Dama dance the dead cannot cross to the supernatural
world in peace• Made of a single piece of intricately carved wood
African Art
MasksFang Tribal Mask, late 19th–early 20th centuryGabon, AfricaWood, Pigment.
Poro Society Mask (Kponyungo), 1970
Carved by Zana SoroIvory Coast (Senufo)
Wood
• Within the Fang tribe of Gabon, Africa, was a secret society called Ngil (The Ngil ceased to exist in the 1930’s)
• Ngil members wore masks such as this one when initiating new members
• Also used during rituals for disciplining tribe members for wrong-doing
• A Kponyungo is a funeral helmet mask that honors deceased Poro elders
• Its symbolic and magical weaponry (much borrowed from animals) is believed to protect the deceased in the afterlife
Pende Mbangu Mask, “Sickness Mask”Pende, Congo, AfricaWood, pigments and fibersPrivate Collection
African Art
A Powerful Influence
Les Demoiselles d’Avingnon, 1907
Pablo PicassoOil on canvas
Museum of Modern Art, New York
• Not until the early 1900’s did Western artists begin to appreciate and study African art
• Pablo Picasso was one of the first. He found African masks fascinating and incorporated similar images in many of his Cubist paintings
• The “sickness mask” from the Pende tribe in Congo was a strong inspiration for Picasso’s influential painting shown here
African Art
Metalwork Evidence of metalworking in Africa dates back at
least 4,700 years
The process of using fire to transform ore into metal, and metal into an object, was widely seen in Africa as a dangerous act of creation, much like giving birth to a child
Metalwork was often carried out at some distance from villages to protect secret rituals and keep danger away
Because metalworkers knew how to make offerings and sacrifices to the spirits and ancestors, and how to protect their work from spirits and magic, they were often regarded by the rest of the community with a mixture of fear and awe
Ruler of Ife 12th to 15th century
BronzeBritish Museum, London,
England
• This detailed bronze head likely depicts an Ooni, which is a ruler of the West African kingdom of Ife that flourished between 1100 and 1500 AD
• The portrait-like realism of Ife heads is unique in African art
• Shows the remarkable skill of early African metalworkers
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African Art
Metalwork
Benin Bronze plaque, 13th centuryCopper alloyBritish Museum, London, England
• The Benin Bronzes are a group of more than 1,000 metal plaques that decorated the royal palace of the Benin Empire in modern-day Nigeria
• The Bronzes are the best known examples of Benin art, created by the Edo people from the 13th century
• In 1897, most of the plaques were removed by the British and placed in museums throughout Europe. Although controversial, this led to a greater appreciation of African art, which had rarely been seen outside of Africa before
African Art
Wood Carving
Headrest, c. 1890Tsonga peoplesWoodMozambique and South Africa
Wood Carving is one of the most common forms of artistic expression in Africa
Villages typically have one or more carvers who pass skills down from generation to generation
Most African sculptures are carved from a single piece of wood which is roughly carved using a small axe. Once polished, details are added using a knife or chisel
• Headrests such as this one were often used to support a sleeping person’s neck and to protect elaborate hairstyles
• The Tsonga peoples of southern Africa typically carved headrests representing animals such as this elephant
African Art
Wood Carving
Bowl with figures, 1925Olowe of IseWoodYoruba Tribe, Nigeria
• Olowe of Ise became known as the “Carver to the Kings” after creating this amazing bowl and other treasures for the King of the Yoruba people in Nigeria
• He became a master artist at the King’s palace, and as his fame grew, other Yoruba kings and wealthy families commissioned him to carve architectural sculptures, masks, drums and other objects for their palaces
• Among the Yoruba, such elaborately carved and decorated bowls were prestigious objects used to offer kola nuts to guests or to gods during religious worship.
• Except for the lid, the entire sculpture, including the bearded head shown resting on the base, was carved from a single piece of wood.
African Art
Ancient Egypt Ancient Egyptian art was produced by the civilization occupying the Nile
River Valley from about 3000 BC to 100 AD Much of the surviving art comes from tombs and monuments and thus
there is an emphasis on life after death It is almost entirely symbolic and had very precise meaning
• This funeral mask was placed over the head and shoulders of Tutankhamun’s (“King Tut’s”) mummy
• Made of gold inlaid with colored glass and semiprecious stone; weighs 24 pounds
• Emblems on the forehead (vulture and cobra) and on the shoulders (falcon heads) were symbols of the Two Lands of Upper and Lower Egypt and of divine authority
• King Tut was 9 years old when he was made Pharaoh and reigned for about 10 years; little is known about his death
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Death Mask of Tutankhamun
Gold, glass & stoneEgyptian National Museum,
Cairo, Egypt
African Art
Ancient Egypt
• Painting depicts a typical ancient Egyptian funeral scene – the weighing of the heart against the feather of truth
• Ancient Egyptians believed the actual heart of the deceased should be lighter than a feather; if not the heart was heavy with wrong-doing and the deceased would not be allowed to enter into the afterlife
• This process was overseen by the god Anubis pictured under the right side of the scale
Weighing of the Heart Against the Featherc. 1275 BCPainted papyrusBritish Museum, London
African Art
Ancient Egypt
The Sphinx & Great Pyramidc. 2500 BCGiza, Egypt
• Pyramids were constructed as elaborate tombs for pharaohs; the Sphinx was built to guard the tombs
• The Great Pyramid took 20 years to build using over 2 million blocks of solid rock weighing between 2 to 30 tons each
• The massive sphinx is 241 feet long and 66 feet high. Its eyes are over 6 feet tall
• Exactly how the pyramids and sphinx were constructed remains a mystery
Art Appreciation - A Trip Around the World
Next Stop: MEDITERRANEAN
Charlotte, NC
#1: Latin America
#2: Africa
#3: Mediterranean