African Art

Selma Hougeir
Art History- Reflection paper #1
Learning about African arts was very interesting to me. I was born in North Africa and have seen a lot of North African arts, but never really knew much about the sub- Saharan African arts. The most interesting part of African history for me was the history of the Nigerian arts. I could not believe that the earliest known sculptures in Africa were from the 5th century. The remarkable Terra cotta pottery heads were made from fired clay. They came from the Nok culture of Nigeria that date from 500BCE-200BCE. I also found the art and history of Benin to be so amazing and advanced. Benin had a great style of art that was quite different from the other regions in the area. They produced many fine bronze and brass heads, figurines, brass plaques and much more. An interesting part of African art is how it is used to serve specific objectives in each geographic region. Africans believe in a sort of spirit world and their rituals are used for a purpose. The purpose is to connect with the spirit world and the past, which they think will have an impact on the real world and the present. I personally believe an authentic African work of art is one that is crafted by an African artist and is also used in that society’s rituals. The many masks they use to represent beings from other worlds are beautiful and fascinating, but these works of art are incomplete without being put to use. This is what makes African art so interesting and special. The many different countries with their many languages all have varying ideas about what art is beautiful to each tribe. It is also interesting how they have art not only for music and dance, but for ancestor worship, rites of passage, funerals, and many other celebrations or events. There were several different pieces that stood out to me and had interesting meanings to their unique use or purpose. The Mvuala from central Africa is fascinating. The shape of the head and smooth face are similar to masks of other tribes. The most fascinating part is how it is passed down from one chief to another and how the staff handles are art that continues to serve a purpose. I also love the meaning of the staff handle. For one, it is a woman and stands for fertility with its soft-carved features. The values are portrayed simply by the kneeling and turned head, which stands for obedience and watchfulness. Another piece of African art that was noteworthy and fascinating was the Funerary post from East Africa. It is a great way to celebrate death after their many rituals. It serves a purpose similar to the headstone of a grave in this country, except has much more detail, beauty, and meaning. The way the head is carved to represent facial features of the deceased, yet not look like that person is interesting. The meaning behind the location of where the funerary post is placed and how it is painted are so thoughtful. The way the paint and post slowly decay to represent the person leaving for the spirit world or whatever they may call it, has so much more meaning than our headstones here in America. Another fascinating way that the Africans use art is how they dress their rulers. The ruler Airowayoye I of Orangun-Ila with his beaded scepter, crown, veil, and foot stool is quite a living work of art. The great part is how such an overdone costume came from the need for a new purpose. The Yoruba kings were losing power and needed to find a way to get some of it back, which is how Airowayoye ended up looking so nice. Again, everything on the ruler has meaning and purpose, which makes the costume a form of living, breathing art. The way the beaded veil covers his face to protect people from seeing his eyes would surely help increase his power because people fear the unknown and mysterious. His crown is so detailed and vivid and I love how it represents the main place of power, his head. This makes perfect sense because our brains would be considered the origin of our power in this country if one was to really think about it. Another piece of art I found stunning was the door from the modern day Yoruba king’s palace. The African people spend such time making these beautiful, detailed pieces of art and they clearly have strong belief systems in order to have so much art. I think the best part of African art is still the way the art has a purpose and is used in their everyday lives.