Art belief and historyMost is based on art, because other

classes had been told that as long as it was 3-5 mins their section would be

alright. So, I figured one main topic(few subtopics) would be better then little

known about a lot of topics

Arts (general)

• Many of the pieces of African art are based on African beliefs and cultures

• Often appear in rituals• Deals with the moral and spiritual views of

human concern• The artists aim to portray the ideas of spiritual

or human reality and express the ideas through human and animal images

Elements of African Art

• Smooth surfaces- healthy shinny skin, inner beauty• Rough surfaces and deformities – to show outer or

inner ugliness • Illness- sign of evil• Youth- fertility, and ability to work• Neck creases (multiple)- healthy, well nourished • Lowered eyes – restraint • Small lips- lacks gossip• Composed expression- inner peace

Beliefs in the arts

• Farmers would wear dance wearing headdresses in the fields before planting to honor the gods (or mythical creatures) in order to receive healthy crops.

• A figure akua’ba is given to women who are wanting to become, or are pregant. It is thought that the figure can induce pregnancy and allow for a safe birth

akua’ba Chi-Wara headdress

Beliefs in art (con)

• Twin Statures are created in Yoruba. A twins death is a great misfortune. The spirit of the dead twin is moved into the figure. Once a week the mother will offer food and prayer. Also, the figure will be clothed in fine cloth and jewels.

• Baule say that people have a spouse in the otherworld, if this spouse becomes angry or jealous a beautiful figure is made to please them.

Twin Figures Spirit figure

Masks

• Headdresses and masks are to be placed at eye level since the mask has been made to have different appearances as the wearer would be moving around in the ritual.

• Sometimes used to depict a forest spirit, so they can inhabit the mask and be able to speak their message to the tribe.

Art creating History

• On the Tassili plateau, of Algeria, engravings and paintings have been found on the rock surfaces

• More then 30,000 sites have been found• Dates back to the 8,000 B.P.– Some animals include: buffalo, hippos, giraffes, antelopes,

and many extinct species. • Depicts humans learning how herd animals (6,000-2200

B.P.)– Red ochre and white “paint” used

• 3,300-1,200 B.P. illustrates the beginning of work horses

Other Beliefs

• Most beliefs link the people to the earth.• Many times they will avoid the use of harmful tools

and crops that could potential damage the soil• Try their hardest to conserve their earth.• It is said that every person is bonded to the earth

through the umbilical cord. So when a child is born their umbilical cord is detached and buried in the ground, with as seed in it. This plant will then grow and mature with the child.

Language and religion

• The language and religion of Africa vary since the country is very large and diverse

• Many times neighboring places won’t even speak the same language.

• The 2 main religions of Africa are Christianity and Islam.

• Other Religions include Judaism, Baha’i and Hinduism.

• Traditional Religions• Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Cote

d'Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Madagascar, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Togo, Zambia

• Christianity• Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Equitorial Guinea,

Gabon, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Namibia, Sao Tome and Principe, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, Uganda, Zimbabwe

• Islam• Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Egypt, Gambia, Guinea, Libya, Mali,

Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Somalia, Sudan, Tunisis• Mixed*- religion that does not have 50% of the population as its

followers• Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo (Zaire), Eritrea,

Ethiopia, Ghana, Mauritius, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania

Sources

• http://www.orishanet.org/africa.html• http://www.hartford-hwp.com/archives/30/19

5.html• http://www2.lib.virginia.edu/artsandmedia/ar

tmuseum/africanart/index.html• http://hum.lss.wisc.edu/hjdrewal/rockart1.ht

ml• mariposamuseum.org