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Why do we study African Art?
When I first went to the old Trocadero, it was disgusting…. The masks weren't just like any other pieces of sculpture. Not at all. They were magic things…. I too believe that everything is unknown…. I understood what the Negroes use their sculptures for…. Les Demoiselles d'Avignon must have come to me that very day…'(Africa 1996, pp23-24) We study African art because it is one of the highest expressions of human culture, which brings us continual refreshment and adds to the artistic heritage of all humanity. One can not begin to appreciate the arts of Africa -- dance, music, costume (adornment) and art objects working as one -- without knowledge of the world of ideas they reflect. As Ola Balogun (1990), of Nigeria has written, the masks and carvings of Africa are "power objects." They provide access to an invisible world inhabited by the divinities, spirits and ghost that are held in African cosmogony. They are used in the course of religious rituals and ceremonies to establish communication between human beings and the spiritual world. They are not intended to mirror real forms, but rather the essence of what they stand for, a sign that stands in place of the invisible (Balogun 1990, p. 26).
Why do the people of Africa make art?
The people of Africa make art for religious ceremonies. Masks combine with dance, song and costume -- movement is art. Masquerades perform in rituals and ceremonies that regulate the social life of the community--and in recent years also for entertainment. Art objects are made for celebrations of "rites of passage" --to celebrate birth, life and death --the cycles of life. Art may show respect for ancestors or the "creator"--or may celebrate a plentiful harvest. What "rites of passage do we celebrate?"
Art objects help us learn the beliefs, values and customs of a culture. Beliefs and values change as the people come into contact with other people. Many ideas are borrowed from the other cultures. Study some of the objects on these pages and in other collections. Do you see evidence of cultural sharing?
As with any culture, art objects may be utilitarian--such as textiles for clothing and pottery. Art is also for adornment. How does their view of beauty differ from your view of beauty? In many African languages, the same word means "beautiful" and "good". The African languages do not have a word for "art" -- only that which is beautiful. Study the objects--do you find that they are beautiful? Study "Key Moments in Life" - reasons for art-- from University of Iowa "Art and Life in Africa"
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