African Art

My next post is about African art, paticularly within sub-Saharan Africa as the more northern parts have a more islamic culture than what we associate with traditional African art. I have chosen this as i really know very little on the topic so through writting a bit about it i hope to learn lots too.

Through my research i have discovered wooden masks of people, animals or mythical creatures were very common in western africa , but unforchunity wood doesn't stand the test of time so very few ancient ones remain. Some were also made of light stone, metals, fabric and pottery. These ceremonial masks were once used for celebrations, initiations, crop harvesting, and war preparation. The people who wore the marks in a way loses their human identity and turns into the spirit shown by the mask. In relation to the art of the masks they were decorated with anything possible for instance animal hair, shells, feathers, egg shells, teeth and horns. Now a days African masks are made in large quantities for tourism puposes, the culture surrounding them has ceased which is definitly a shame.



An African Mask
http://ancientafricanmasks.com/masks4.html



Another form of art traditional to Africa comes in the form of body art through tattoos, scarification, body painting, coiffures and jewellry. It was used to shown ones status, beliefs, origns and as a method of expressing ones self. Body painting is the main method of artistic expression amoungst most African tribes. Chalk and earth pigments are used to do this, close friends or family sometimes paint their faces or bodys the same to represent their bond. Body modifications are also a big part of their culture, men and women stretch their ears and chins and other body parts using plates which increase in size. Sometimes they stretch their necks using rings and a long neck is a sign of beauty.



http://www.africanconservancy.org/member/bodyart/surma.html