Monday, September 22, 2008

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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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Evidences of African art could be found as early as 500 BC, with carved rocks in the Sahara and sculptures from Nigeria. The use of bronze, brass and other metalwork, as well as the incorporation of terracotta, ivory and other embellishments were attributed to go back as far as 10th century AD, and usually reserved for royalty. African art forms that were not statues or figurines were still meant to be three-dimensional pieces.