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Virginia Taylor

6/2/2016

12 Comments

 
QUESTION: Examine and compare/contrast the use and creation of different styles of tribal masks throughout various African tribes. In what ways do the functions of the masks remain the same? How does one qualify these masks as art in Western culture when they are made for a practical purpose in these tribes?

3 BASIC MASK STYLES TO FOCUS ON:

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DAN MASK
The Dan Mask is a mask commonly used among the Dan tribe found in Liberia and along the Ivory Coast. These masks are considered incredibly sacred objects; they are believed to protect the wearer as well as allow for communication with the spirit world. Dan masks are most commonly used during ritual dances and ceremonies to allow for contact between the spirit world and the human world, and every Dan mask has a different use during these ceremonies.




LWALWA MASK
The Lwalwa Mask is utilized by the Lwalwa Tribe stretching from the Democratic Republic all the way into Angola. These masks are incredibly special, as they are only worn by men during ceremonies known as "bangongo", which is a ceremony in which young men are initiated into adulthood. These masks are considered some of the most valuable among the Lwalwa tribe, so the artisans who craft them are highly regarded.

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YOHURE MASK
Yohure Masks are a vital part of the society of the Yohure tribe, a tribe who mainly resides on the Ivory Coast of Africa. These masks are created in order to help members of the tribe feel a better sense of peace with the death of one of their people--the masks represent Yu spirits who, when the mask is worn during a ceremony, can restore balance to a hurting tribe. The masks are considered incredibly powerful for this reason, they are often kept out of the site of women for fear of the dangerous supernatural powers.
Click on the images below to enlarge. These photos depict real examples of the masks explained above, and characteristics can be noted between the graphically created images and real-life examples!
MAJOR THEMES
-use of masks in ritual ceremonies and gatherings
-masks often allow for a connection between the human world and the spirit world, thus they hold very significant religious meanings
-masks are generally considered very powerful and important 
-special status is often attributed to artists that can create these masks, as it is seen to be a specialized, and sometimes even divine skill​
OVERALL: Masks are created in these beautiful ways because of their significance, not simply as works of art. Many tribes use ornate detail and beautiful coloring in masks to emphasize their importance in the community, as well as honor the gods through a beautiful offering.
This video is so interesting in that it briefly explains how Picasso drew inspiration from African masks in his revolutionary, and honestly quite controversial, style of cubism. Many Western artists saw these masks as art, reveling in their aesthetic qualities and interesting geometry rather than truly understanding their symbolic and historical meaning. Are African masks simply art, or should they be considered something more because of their practical and often religious use in African tribes?

A few examples of work from Picasso's "African Period" (approx. 1906-1909). During this time, Picasso began to develop the early backings of Cubism, all inspired by the geometry and lines of African masks.
CONCLUSION

African masks are truly recognizable in their geometry and construction, unlike anything ever seen in the art world. As a result, many more Western artists, specifically Picasso, used these masks as inspiration for the geometry in his work, ultimately leading to the development of his style of Cubism. The numerous African tribes and unique mask styles of each allowed for limitless inspiration for these Western artists, however, many more Western artists did not truly understand the significance behind these masks, only admiring them for their aesthetic qualities. 
CITATIONS

Art and Painting: About Picasso's African Art. EHow, 2009. 

Dan. Dean Gle Mask, late 19th-early 20th century. Wood, pigment, 9 3/4 x 6 x 3 in. (24.8 x 15.2 x 7.6 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Evelyn K. Kossak, 80.244.

Lwalwa Mask 19th-10th century Democratic Republic of the Congo Wood, hide, pigment H. 12 5/8 x W. 8 x D. 7 1/2 in., The Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection, Bequest of Nelson A. Rockefeller, 1979


Pablo Picasso, 1907, Head of a Sleeping Woman (Study for Nude with Drapery), oil on canvas, 61.4 x 47.6 cm, The Museum of Modern Art, New York

Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon, 1907, Oil on Canvas, 243.9 cm × 233.7 cm, Location Museum of Modern Art. Acquired through the Lillie P. Bliss Bequest, New York City
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Pablo Picasso, 1907, Nu aux bras levés (Nude)

Yohure. Mask, early 20th century. Wood, height: 12 in. (30.5 cm). Brooklyn Museum, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Eugene Becker, 77.240.
12 Comments

Ishani Pendse

4/14/2016

10 Comments

 
"How did European art and
African art influence each other, both in new content as well as in essence starting from colonialism to modern periods?"
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Paul Klee / Senecio / 1922 / Oil on gauze / 40.5 x 38 cm / Kunstmuseum Basel, Basel, Switzerland
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Fertility Figure: (Akua Ba), Asante People of Ghana. 19th-20th century. Wood, beads, string. 27.2 x 9.7 x 3.9cm. The Met.
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Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. Paris. 1907, Oil on canvas. 8' x 7'8".
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Twin Figures (Ere Ibeji). Nigeria. Yoruba culture, 20th century. Wood, height 20cm. The University of Iowa Museum of Art.
Overview of Modern African Art
  • Initiation
    • Rites to being confirmed→ trials to prove responsibility
    • Spirit masks → Bwa initiation (young adults initiated into adulthood by being “kidnapped” and then being stripped of clothing and beds, then taught about the spirit world and must memorize the spirit stories important to each clan, perform with a mask)
  • Leadership
    • Use art to establish dominance and leadership
      • Validate right to authority
      • Communicate moral laws
    • Gold → used by Ashanti
  • Spirit world
    • Local customs and beleif systems to answer existentialist questions
    • Many african belief systems no one supreme god who is fundamentally involved in human life → very opposite to Christianity (assimilation)
    • Many spirit forces that interact with humans and take interest in their affairs
      • Spirits in fields, rivers, forests, land, ancestors
    • Control success/failure and relationships with spirits require maintenance
    • Art used in relations with spirits→ offerings, ritual performances
      • Diviner calling upon spirits

African influence
- colonization
- human origins
- much more “primitive” style that went back to the basics
- artifacts (natural history/ethnography) --> art → ?
- influenced the Modern Movement as colonialism in Africa led to the acquisition of new artifacts from this region → artists seeking to expand found great inspiration in the very necessary, strong and minimalistic style of the african masks
The art of Africa often had vital religious functions, however the influence of African art often only extended to the external aesthetic qualities that artists such as Picasso, Modigliani, Klee and German Expresionists adopted. However, part of the attraction was also based in the essence of African art and what it meant to each individual, whether this included the original religious/ritualistic significance or not. (Ganesh and aesthetics)
primitive -> purity
  • Artists wanted to expand and found inspiration in the new→ western art had been rehashed many times with always an expansion followed by a return to classical values in almost a cycle of sorts (neoclassicism vs romanticisim, etc)
  • Sought new ideas and found them in something that had not been used before at all

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European influence
- colonization so response to that
- "westernization"
- resistance over decades
- modern art --> african artists modifying tradition in diaspora
- creation of identity
Due to heavy resistance to colonialism and "westernization," European art had probably less of an aesthetic influence. The African people continued making art significant to their cultures and much of the change that has come about has arisen from adapting to new times and new technology- such as the use of paint by the Guro people in making masks. However the period of colonization was very turbulent and led to the perhaps a shift in the essence of African art, seen in the search for a new identity.
  • Still used “art” for religious and tribal functions → art/artifacts
  • The way they were used were different 
  • assimilation→ europeans brought medicine, schools, Christianity and in turn took away from the art of the Africans prior to colonization
  • Still tried to hold onto roots and cultures but hard with attempts at assimilation and view that Africans were “barbaric” or “primitive”

When one culture tries to take over another, both will be fundamentally changed. The one that must submit to the will of the stronger one will experience a change in its very essence as it will be resistant, however in Africa you can see that there is a strong holding onto the roots. European art, while it’s very identity was not questioned because of colonization experience a much more dramatic change in its art on the surface level. However this is reflective of the nature of the culture of one who takes over another as it is constantly looking to expand. 

Connections: 
  • Leadership: art used to establish dominance just as it was used to do so in ancient Assyria where the large scale architecture was used to establish power. 
  • Modern ethical dilemma: using religious artifacts from other religions for aesthetic purposes
  • Art used in modern times as well to send a message and create identity→ Beyonce 
    • Cultural appropriation 
BIBLIOGRAPHY

"African Colonization & Independence." Rachel Strohm. N.p., 01 Feb. 2014. Web. 02 June 2016.
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"Fertility Figure: Female (Akua Ba) | 1979.206.75 | Work of Art | Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History | The Metropolitan Museum of Art." The Met's Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2016. Web. 20 May 2016.


Music, Modernity, and the Global Imagination: South Africa and the West (03 June 1999) by Veit Erlmann

Stokstad, Marilyn, and Michael Watt Cothren. Art History. 5th ed. Boston: Pearson, 2014. Print.

Thompson, Robert Farris. "African influence on the art of the United States." African Diaspora Archaeology Newsletter 13.1 (2010): 7.
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10 Comments

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