All You Ever Wanted to Learn About African Art Part II Exploration, Colonization, and Independence By: Liz, Jack, and Brandon Wood and Child in Tow By: Cyprian Ogambi (modern day, Kenya)

A Little Review Nok head, terra cotta, Nigeria, 5th century BCE King, from Ife, Nigeria, 11th-12th century, zinc-brass alloy Saltcellar by: Master of the Symbolic Execution, Sapi-Portugese, from Sierra Leone, 15-16th century

European Contact First: Portugal, late 15th Century Early Contact Period: 15th-19th century Slave Trade Islam vs. Christianity Imperialism/Colonialism- Africa divided into pie slices

Context and Meaning Many African pieces taken out of context Important to remember original function and location of piece Where you view a piece of African art, from what angle, and who you are plays a huge role in interpretation (similar to modern art) Functionality depends on place

Example of Functionality and Importance of Context Samburu Kenya Costumes, hairstyles, jewelry- gender specific, age specific, status specific Each part of their outfit is symbolic of their background

Conventionalization and Gender Roles Ceramic Ancestral Portrait, created by a woman Each group had strict artistic conventions Men are ironsmiths, architects, carver; Women are wall and body painters, potters, sculptors Some art is collaborative (ex) Akan peoples of Ghana Two shrine figures (akua mma), Asante, Ghana, Wood

Themes Veneration of Ancestors Power of Kings “Aesthetic Overload” Spirituality of Art Education of Youth Aiding the Community Continuity of Life

Veneration of Ancestors Royal Ancestor Altar, Benin, Nigeria  Finest materials used King’s head- symbolic Hierarchal Positioning

Primordial Dogon Ancestors Dogon- Mali Man and Woman on common base Depiction of Gender roles Simplified body structure Fertility gestures Symbolic and spiritual function

Igbo Houses for the Gods Nature Gods demanded houses to be made Mbari house- made of Adobe, spiritual purpose Thunder god Amadioha and his wife Fusion of modernity and tradition Mbari houses return to the earth

Male Figures (ndop) Representing King Kot a-Ntshey Kuba, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo Artistic tradition Figures placed next to an ailing king near death to absorb life essence Kept in wives’ quarters

Nail Figure Kongo Embodied specific spirits to heal or harm Power shown in symbolic cowrie shell Villagers held figures in awe Purpose: evoke ancestors for guidance and help

Masquerades Crucial to African society Masks held power and societal status Usually used for education and entertainment Masquerades- strongly ritualized dramas Men control masks in most societies Administrated justice in some societies

Satimbe Mask Dogon, Mali Creation story illustrated Used every 3-6 years Dama ceremony- commemorate those who had died since the last Dama

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-a22Lk5HDo

Female headdress (D’amba dance) and Male Mask Baga Sitemu, Guinea D’amba mask shows ideal Baga woman (bears many healthy children) Male Banda mask embodies power symbols representative of males

Female Mask Mende, Sierra Leone Ideal feminine characteristics Unusual preference for female maskers in this society Maskers are teachers, mentors, initiators

Three horned bush-spirit mask (Bo nun amuin) Baule, Cote d’Ivoire Animal imagery Spiritual power Male-oriented bush life Costume usually made of raffia- a bush material (wild over civilized)

African Art Today Colonial governments caused erosion of leadership arts in African culture Increased secularization Traditional values still present, not as relevant in modern society Art reflects societal changes

Coffin in shape of hen with chicks By: Kane Kwei Ghana, 1989 Functionality Wooden Caskets for the Ga people Coffin is for a senior woman with a large family Decorated other objects

Ta Tele By: Trigo Piula Democratic Republic of the Congo 1988 International style Fuses Western and Congolese cultures Traditional Kongo power figure (nkisi nduda) stands in front Television has deadened contemporary Congolese peoples’ minds with the need for modern commodities

African Art Transforms Europe Runner Mask from The Dan (Ivory Coast) Henri Matisse’s The Young Sailor 1906

African Art Transforms Europe Pablo Picasso’s Pregnant Woman 1950 Ancestral figure, Kongo, nineteenth and twentieth centuries

African Art Transforms Modern Artists Romare Bearden’s The Woodshed 1963 Reliquary Guardian Figure (Mbulu-Ngulu), Kota, from Gabon, 19-20th century

Vocabulary Masquerade- A ritualized drama performed by several masked dancers, embodying ancestors or nature spirits Akua ba- small wooden fertility figures carved by Asante men in Ghana Ndop- A male figure commemorating a living or dead King, carved by the Kuba people of the Congo Genetrix- a legendary founding Clan mother Bo nun Amuin- Composite imagery animal masks created by the Baule people of the Cote D’Ivoire. Represents the spirit power of the bush