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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?"
Picture
Paul Klee / Senecio / 1922 / Oil on gauze / 40.5 x 38 cm / Kunstmuseum Basel, Basel, Switzerland
Picture
Fertility Figure: (Akua Ba), Asante People of Ghana. 19th-20th century. Wood, beads, string. 27.2 x 9.7 x 3.9cm. The Met.
Picture
Pablo Picasso, Les Demoiselles d'Avignon. Paris. 1907, Oil on canvas. 8' x 7'8".
Picture
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

Picture
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.
​
"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.
​
10 Comments
Josie Ladle
6/8/2016 02:06:10 pm

Your topic is so complex & in depth, and you did a really awesome job at covering it all without being OD, you feel?? The bullet point format was really easy to follow and emphasized the main points, and the graphics you included were relevant and reinforced what you were saying in your post. Great job :-)

Reply
Ben Widener
6/9/2016 09:49:55 am

First off, wow cool images! The statues and images you displayed in your post were very interesting and really sparked my interest in your topic. I love your page layout and how you kept everything short and organized. Your map, video, and connections brought everything together very well and I found the fertility figure relatable to the venus figures of cycladic society. Great Job!

Reply
Lyla Rossi
6/9/2016 10:06:51 pm

I love, again, that this is incorporates the political aspect of art and its effects, because the European influence came kind of unwarranted. Art has the intense potential to be politically-charged, as we've studied in the past, in the realm of Assyria and Rome and others. And I love that this is an instance where art history reveals the general history of the world. Finally, I love that you brought up the question of cultural appropriation vs. appreciation, that reverberates from Virginia's post. That's such an important concept, I think, and it's important that this question is discussed in the context of art and art history, so I'm glad you brought attention to that, especially in our current society.

Reply
Erin Paasch
6/9/2016 11:37:29 pm

Your choice of images is impeccable; the viewer can draw direct, obvious connections between the pictures on the screen, which helps to reaffirm your central message. I also really appreciate your layout and sequence of topics; it is very logical and flows well.

Reply
Alex Norman
6/10/2016 06:21:59 am

Nice job! It's so cool to see how cultures across the world are similar by looking at their art. In my research on totem poles, I also learned that the Pacific Northwest Native Americans also used masks in their rituals. Really, many of the tribes throughout North America use masks for similar celebrations/rites/rituals that allow them to maintain good relations with their deities like the Africans.

Reply
Campbell Wharton
6/10/2016 08:46:35 am

Really interesting topic that you executed really well. We often think about how other ancient european cultures influenced the art of modern and contemporary europe, but your identification of the influences that africa had on the development of european art was really interesting to learn about. Your organization was really neat and your inclusion of so much information was great.

Reply
Evelyn
6/10/2016 08:52:16 am

Great post! You jumped into your question and its a great teaching tool. I especially like how all your pieces have this great theme of abstracted reality in relation to the human form. We saw that in the beginning of the year and you've brought it right back, highlighting the cyclical nature of art.

Reply
Helena Trevor
6/10/2016 09:10:30 am

It's interesting how the African art influenced law and religion in Africa. Similarly to how the Europeans invaded Africa, they invaded India (that's what I discussed in my project) and changed the architecture a lot. It is interesting, however, that they had less of an effect on the aesthetic appearance of art and more of an effect on the cultural identity of the Africans. In India, it was almost the opposite as the architecture changed dramatically to incorporate the Gothic and Mughal styles but combined Indian architecture as well, maintaining some of the cultural identity. I think this might be because India was taken over and colonized very early on, not allowing them to develop their own cultural (& being changed easily) and not concerning the Europeans much with eradicating their culture because it wasn't a huge threat. Your project was very cool!

Reply
Ellie Kim
6/10/2016 09:56:17 am

I love your post!!! It is so nicely organized - the "African influence" and "European influence" sections make it all so easy to follow, and the bullet format is great. I love the twin figures as well. They remind me a lot of the Venus figures we studied at the very beginning of the year. Aww

Reply
Sophia Mccrimmon
6/14/2016 02:52:09 pm

I love the way you tied together political and cultural/artistic trends in your "European Influence" section. We often think about the political and economic impacts of European colonialism, but not so much the artistic impacts. Super interesting!

Reply



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