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    Do African Artists Lean More Towards Realism or Abstraction

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    selva kumar
    African artists generally favor abstraction over realism in their works. They creatively portray human and animal forms through innovative designs and structures rather than physical accuracy. While some African art, like that of the Ife culture, can be naturalistic, idealization and emphasis on culturally valued characteristics are more common. Masks may highlight preferred facial features or emphasize expected social roles through abstraction. Understanding the cultural contexts and symbolic meanings of African artworks improves appreciation of their forms.

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    Do African Artists Lean More Towards Realism or Abstraction

    Uploaded by

    selva kumar
    71 views4 pages
    African artists generally favor abstraction over realism in their works. They creatively portray human and animal forms through innovative designs and structures rather than physical accuracy. While some African art, like that of the Ife culture, can be naturalistic, idealization and emphasis on culturally valued characteristics are more common. Masks may highlight preferred facial features or emphasize expected social roles through abstraction. Understanding the cultural contexts and symbolic meanings of African artworks improves appreciation of their forms.

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    African artists generally favor abstraction over realism in their works. They creatively portray human and animal forms through innovative designs and structures rather than physical accuracy. While some African art, like that of the Ife culture, can be naturalistic, idealization and emphasis on culturally valued characteristics are more common. Masks may highlight preferred facial features or emphasize expected social roles through abstraction. Understanding the cultural contexts and symbolic meanings of African artworks improves appreciation of their forms.

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    71 views4 pages

    Do African Artists Lean More Towards Realism or Abstraction

    Uploaded by

    selva kumar
    African artists generally favor abstraction over realism in their works. They creatively portray human and animal forms through innovative designs and structures rather than physical accuracy. While some African art, like that of the Ife culture, can be naturalistic, idealization and emphasis on culturally valued characteristics are more common. Masks may highlight preferred facial features or emphasize expected social roles through abstraction. Understanding the cultural contexts and symbolic meanings of African artworks improves appreciation of their forms.

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    of 4

    REALISM OR ABSTRACTION 1

    Do African artists lean more towards realism or abstraction? Why?

    Realism or physical similarity is generally not the goal of an African artist. Many forms of

    African art are characterized by their visual abstraction or deviation from the truth of

    representation. Artists creatively portray human or animal forms through innovative designs

    and structures. The size of the abstract can range from the brass heads of the kings of Benin

    to idealistic naturalism to very simple and geometrically designed shapes, such as those in the

    Baga hairstyle.

    The choice to create abstract representations is a knowing one, evidenced by the technical

    ability of African artists to create naturalistic art, as seen, for example, in the art of Ife, in

    present-day Nigeria. Idealization is frequently seen in images of human beings. Individuals

    are almost always described in the prime of life, never in old age or poor health. Culturally

    trusted standards of moral character and physical beauty are shown through formal emphasis.

    The masks used by the Sante feminist community, for example, present cultural models of

    Mende's feminine beauty (at the top of the page). Instead of body representation, the artist

    highlights favorite features such as narrow eyes, a small mouth, carefully woven hair, and a

    curved neck. Idealized images are often associated with expected social roles and emphasize

    characteristics between men and women.

    In the Bamana statues, the entire breasts show a woman with a swollen abdomen (above). At

    the same time, the complementary male and female pair figures convey the notion of being an

    ideal social unit through matching gestures, positions, and expressions.


    REALISM OR ABSTRACTION 2

    Once an artifact leaves the hands of its creator, its visual appearance can be altered through

    use in ritual or performance contexts. Repeated handling of an artifact during ceremonies can

    create a slightly worn surface, while ritual applications of palm oil can give a lustrous sheen.

    During ceremonies, decorative elements, such as pearls, metal jewelry, and fabric, can be

    added to a work. The applications of sacrificial substances and organic materials create an

    encrusted surface which empowers an object in the literal and figurative sense. Masks and

    figurative sculptures can also be repainted from season to season. Bwa masks, for example,

    are soaked after harvest and repainted in red, white, and black, generally with natural plant or

    mineral pigments but now also with European enamel paints.

    Although the works of African artists are appreciated by Western audiences for their formal

    power and beauty, it is essential to understand these artifacts in their terms. Many African

    works of art were created to serve a social, religious, or political function. In its original form,

    and artwork can have different uses and different meanings. These applications may change

    over time. The mask created for a particular action can be used later in a different context.

    Nwantantay masks, used by Bwa in southern Burkina Faso, can be made during burial

    ceremonies and also for annual renewal rates. Works of art can also have different meanings

    for different individuals or groups. A statue belonging to an elite community has deeper

    levels of meaning for its members than for the ordinary public, who may know only its basic

    meaning. The designs painted on an Ejagham headdress, for example, depict a form of

    original writing, the meaning of which is limited to individuals of the highest status and rank

    (above). Knowing the cultural contexts and symbolic interests of African art, therefore,

    improves our appreciation of its form.


    REALISM OR ABSTRACTION 3

    REFERENCES
    Altieri, C. (1989). Painterly Abstraction in Modernist American Poetry: The

    Contemporaneity of Modernism (Vol. 37). Cambridge University Press.

    Delaquis, H. A. (1975). Dilemma of the contemporary African artist. Transition, (50), 16-30.

    Schapiro, M. (1937). Nature of abstract art (pp. 185-86). American Marxist Association.
    REALISM OR ABSTRACTION 4

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