N O N -W E S T E R N A RT

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

• Spiritual rites are central to traditional African culture

• Include art, music, narrative and dance• 3 distinct types of societies in sub-Saharan Africa:• Nomadic tribes in desert and steppe regions• Sedentary farming cultures in the savanna and rainforest

fringe area• Ancient, sophisticated kingdoms of Nigeria and Guinea

coast

• While all three have separate art traditions, it is similar in the attention to craftsmanship, use of geometric abstraction and the religious orientation

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

• Ceremony dominates much of traditional Africa’s life and art. • Each individual is thought to have a spirit that

interrelates with the spirits of other individuals• Spirits are everywhere, uniting the whole human

race• Strong bonds unite the individual and clan with

each other and with ancestors

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Mask with Head ClothZaire19th centuryCloth, shells, wood

Female mask that performs with male mask to honor deceased

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

• Similarly to the art of Oceania, little is known about the history of art in Africa• Natural materials were the order of the day, and

they have since decomposed over time• Pottery, stones and metals survived burial, which

has left mistaken ideas that sculpture, jewelry, pottery and rock paintings as only form of art practiced• Certain tools used that have survived, and stories

and legends passed down over time, have told of much more artistic prowess out of Africa

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

• Two different types of art, beyond basic decorated art as utility, are found in African cultures• Objects used in worship such as wooden masks

and objects that symbolize spirit gods and goddesses• Objects created by artists working for a king-

sculptures that show the ruler victorious in battle or connected to gods and ancestors. Can also be used to decorate buildings and temples as symbols of power and wealth• Seeing the trend?

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Banda MaskNalu or Baga peoplesGuinea20th centurywood

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

• Nomadic cultures of Africa- 3000 + years ago• No large sculpture- lifestyle can’t take it, no

accumulation of material goods• Masks, however, were created• Masks were used in religious ceremonies, and

included ancestors, cult figures, fetishes and reliquary figures

• Fetish figures- designed to hold ingredients that are endowed with mystical powers

• Cult figures- figures of religious devotion or ritualistic value

• Reliquary figures- carved guardians that stand above basket receptacles for ancestral remains

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Fetish figure19th centuryAfrica

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

• Cult figures are full body images kept in homes or shrines• As part of rituals, individuals present offerings to

them• They can indicate social rank or may function as

fertility images• May be carved on legs of stool to support seat• May be carved holding an offering bowl or as

mother/ child figures

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Mother and ChildMali19-20th centuryWood 48 “ high

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Akua Iba doll19th-20th centuryAshanti cultureGhanaWood

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

• Much more permanent and long lived tradition of sculpture and masks is seen in the agricultural groups of the savanna regions

• Sedentary farming cultures were able to create and build much more stationary things given the lifestyle

• Masks are still used in ritual ceremonies to embody spiritual forces

• Many have changed over the years, but they are still active today

• Some are used in dance rituals, like the mask we looked at earlier

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Sowo MaskSierra Leone19th-20th centuryWood, raffia, copper alloy

Used during a girls initiation into womanhood, worn on head of powerful women leaders

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

• In contrast to the nomadic and sedentary ag tribes, the kingdoms of Nigeria created art that reflected the tastes of the wealthy kings and courtiers, not the common people• Royal craftspeople were on the kings staff, and

produced ceremonial sculpture and household ornament panels• Also produced art as utility- bowls, stools, textiles,

pottery and musical instuments

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Court artists made drums such as these for entertainment

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

• Kingdoms flourished as early as 500 BC when Nok culture created large terra-cotta figures like the Head of Jemaa in 510 BC• Geometric features• Stylized hair• Symbol of forehead

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

• Nearly 2000 years later the Ife flourished in western Nigeria

• Very advanced society, most significant accomplishment was the production of naturalistic human sculptures cast in bronze using the lost-wax method

• All facial features are anatomically correct, even down to bone structure beaneath skin

• Holes allowed application of real hair to give more lifelike appearance

• Technology of Ife represents the aristocratic lifestyle

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Oni, King of Ife12th-14th centuryBronzeBritish Museum

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

• Ife craftspeople taught neighboring Benin peoples the techniques of bronze casting• Figures of Benin ancestry show 4:1 ratio, modern

big head small body • On next slide- look at feet and leg size vs rest of

body• Compare prints and texture on feet and body to

that of helmet and cloth.

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Bronze Horn Blower16th centuryEdo PeopleBenin

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Benin plaque16th century

Notice figures

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Ivory ArmletEdo peoples, 15th-16th century ADBenin, Nigeria

This ivory armlet is worn by the Oba (king) of Benin in ceremonies in which he wears a coral costume, dances with a ceremonial sword and carries a gong. The armlet helps to prevent the coral beads from becoming entangled during the Oba's dance

Shown with mudfish legs- linking him to ruler of the sea

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Bronze figure of a huntsmanLost wax casting16th century

Detail in antelope and humanSame scale

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Altar of the Hand

Benin, Nigeria

Probably late 19th century

-see the various fates of mankind as governed both by destiny and personal action. -Destiny is located in the head and personal action in the hand. –

-Ceremonies devoted to the head tend, therefore, to involve ancestors and destiny, while those strengthening the hand involve an individual and his own achievements

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

Ivory salt cellar with boatBenin, Nigeria16th century

This salt cellar is made of ivory and shows Europeans with long hair, beards and hooked noses. Objects of this type were perhaps the first known examples of 'tourist art' from Africa: luxury items made as souvenirs for foreigners.

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICABrass figure of a Portuguese soldierBenin, Nigeria18th century

Clothes- 16th centuryMusket- 18th century

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

• Contemporary African art was “discovered” by Westerners near the end of the last century• Picasso, Matisse and other artists influenced by

the geometric qualities and abstract forms• African art= early Cubism!• Traditions continue today, and continue to inspire

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

• Zimbabwe has been known for its beautiful Shona stone sculptures, an art style that continues today

• Shona sculptures are very simple, stylized sculptures out of stone that reflect a very quiet, simple emotion

• Zimbabwe is the only area in Africa that has large deposits of stone suitable for carving, and it is well known for this art form even today

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

• Major themes: religious and ceremonial purposes, geometric abstraction and forms, and attention to craftsmanship

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA• What three types of society live south of the Sahara Desert in

Africa?• How is their art alike?• What type of art do the nomadic tribes create?• How are masks used in southern Africa?• Of what materials are masks constructed?• For what reasons might masks be created?• For which class of people was the art of the nomadic and

agricultural tribes created?For which class of people was the art of the kingdoms of Nigeria created?

• Who were the Nok and Ife cultures?• What type of art did the Nok and Ife cultures create?• Measure the head of the Benin horn blower. How many heads tall

is he? Research and see how tall a human figure normally is.• What are the main themes of Sub-Saharan African art?• In your own words, (DON’T GIVE ME THE DEFINITION) what is the

difference between fetish figures and reliquary figures?

SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA