History Of African Art

By Jason Gluckman

African art is the creation of the people in the South of the Sahara. Art is an integral part of the everyday life of Africans. It is used for dialogue, personal therapy and to communicate with the gods and ancestors. The history of African art is very rich, with an enormous collection of art forms. African art originated way back in 500 B.C., in a village of Nigeria. The African sculpture was first unearthed along with exclusive pottery in the village. The ancient African art forms are mainly masks and figures, used in religious ceremonies. The material used for most of these African Art forms was wood. The wood was decorated with clay, shells, ivory, beads, metal and feathers.

Western and Central Africa are considered the richest regions in indigenous art. They are known for different styles of art forms of the African culture. The western Sudan and Guinea coast is famous for its abstract wood- carvings.

Nigeria is well known for the terracotta statuettes found in the Nok culture era of the 5th century B.C. These statuettes are mainly human figures made in terracotta. The history of African art is a contribution by the various tribes, which presented the art different forms and styles. These tribes are known even today for their contribution. The small tribes of the Cameroon grasslands are popular for their bold and expressive woodcarvings that include large house posts, masks and objects used in rituals. All African cultures use decorative textiles and tools.

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Oil Painting - One of the Greatest Gift Ideas

By Allan Holder

An oil painting is an expression on canvas that can reflect many things, from real life to abstract, and it one of the greatest gift ideas. Painting in oil is an almost lost art medium in the burgeoning digital age. Contrary to popular belief, painting in oil does not require that the artist to be a professional. Rather oil is a medium that is malleable, making it fun - even if it’s not always the easiest medium to use.

Where to Find Oil Paintings

An oil painting can be purchased for many occasions and does not have to be expensive. Depending on the size of the painting, its age, and the artist who painted it, oil paintings can range in price and value. Original oil paintings can be found in shows, such as at an artist expo, from a private dealer or at an antique auction. Original oil paintings can even be found online.

A Great Christmas Gift Idea

Christmas is a time of giving. Why not give a gift that will be fully appreciated? Whether you commission a painting to be done by an oil painting artist or decide to paint one yourself, an oil painting is one of the greatest Christmas gift ideas for a wife or other significant woman in your life such as a mother, a sister, a daughter or a best friend. Find out what she likes – landscapes, portraits, still life, modern art or another style and contact an oil painting artist who specializes in that particular form.

Have it Commissioned

An oil painting artist will usually charge a bit more for an original oil painting, however, the cost may be worth it to have a painting that will become a Christmas gift for your wife that she will never forget. Discuss your preferences with the oil painting artist and even consider bringing elements from your home or other things that hold meaning and have the artist incorporate them into the original oil painting they create for you. When you commission a painting, the oil painting artist is paid to create an original work that reflects your choices and style, so make sure you take part in the creative process as much as possible

Do it Yourself

If you decide to create an original oil painting yourself as a gift idea, keep in mind that perfection is probably not the best goal for a beginner. Rather, strive to be true to your creativity. While a portrait may be a more difficult challenge, painting a landscape or still life is generally not seen as difficult (even if you, the oil painting artist, have little or no previous experience.)

Where to Find Supplies

Supplies such as a canvas and frame, oil paints, brushes and other necessities can be purchased at any art store for much less than it would to commission an original oil painting as a Christmas gift for your wife. If you decide to commission an original oil painting as a Christmas gift for your wife, make sure to find an artist in enough time to complete the project before the holiday.

When deciding whether or not you will commissions an original oil painting as a Christmas gift for your wife or if you will be the original oil painting artist yourself, consider the cost and then think about the meaning, which will most likely be more priceless than the original oil painting itself.

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Print Art Techniques

By Robbie Darmona

Print art is a technology used to replicate artworks on a canvas. Many ways to turn the original paintings into canvas copies exist. In the past reproductions were only made on paper, because it was easier. But with the technological advances print art is becoming more and more popular among artists and amateurs. Print art has a serious advantage over paper reproduction: it can be displayed without glass or matting, and it looks the same as the original.

What distinguishes print reproductions from the original is that canvas art prints are completely flat, they don’t have the textures you can see on the originals. Despite this, a devoted canvas art printer can put some highlighting hand-applied paint, so that the original looks are preserved to a great extent. But the most indicative way to reveal the print art copy is to see if it is basically flat or not. The hand-applied paint cannot substitute the areas of texture that you can notice on the original paintings.

Basically, there are two techniques for making print art reproductions. The first one is called “transferring”. It is the more popular one. It includes the making of a standard paper print copy first done in the traditional way. This copy is then covered with special chemicals that separate the paper from the ink. Thus, after the removing of the paper, the ink remains untouched. It can then gradually be applied to a canvas.

The second print art technique is a bit more sophisticated as it includes modern technologies. It is called PiezoGraphy and it is a digital printing technique. The original pieces drawn using a variety of materials can be digitally processed. A large number of different digital methods are used. Additionally, this technique allows for image processing to be done on the piece, for example changing of hues and chroma, so that a better-looking reproduction is obtained. By using PiezoGraphy the reproduction can differ in size from the original: printouts can be either reduced or enlarged. That’s why the digital printing technique is thought to create new originals, not just reproductions of the existing paintings. It is thus used by many artists.

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7 Interesting Facts About The Mona Lisa

By Brandon Fuhrmann

• The name the painting is most recognized by is Mona Lisa but that only came about because of a spelling error! The original name of the painting was Monna Lisa. Monna, in Italian, was a common Italian shortening of Madonna, meaning “my lady.”

• Most people know that Leonardo da Vinci is the artist, but many believe that the woman’s identity is unknown. Some even think that it’s him - Leonardo da Vinci himself in the female form. The most commonly believed theory is that the woman is Lisa Gherardini, born in 1479. She was 24 years old and the mother of two sons when she posed for the painting. Why he chose her is still a mystery.

• The painting actually has a recent imperfection. In 1956, a man named Ugo Ungaza threw a rock at the painting, which resulted in a small patch of damaged paint next to her left elbow.

• The unrivaled fame of this work is partially because it was stolen from the Louvre Museum in Paris in broad daylight by an employee in 1911. It was quickly recovered two years later.

• The painting resides in its own room in the Louvre Museum in Paris and is protected in a climate controlled environment and encased in bullet proof glass. This room was built especially for the painting and cost the museum over seven million dollars. The painting is considered priceless and cannot be insured.

• It is rumored that the reason she has no eyebrows in the painting is because during one of the first times they were trying to clean and restore the painting an error was made and the eyebrows were accidentally removed. Other thoughts are that Leonardo, who was the consummate perfectionist, never finished the painting, as most of his paintings were left unfinished.

• Recent extensive studies show that there are three different versions painted under the presently viewed version. One version has her hands clutching the arms of the chair instead of in front of her.

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