African Art Flashcards
What is the Ife sculpture made of
Bronze
How tall is the Ife sculpture
40 cm tall
What does the Ife sculpture do
If honours the king, head of the Yobuta tribes.
What I soften the case in African sculptures
The proportions are often exaggerated symbolically.
Why was the Ife sculptures head enlarged
To indicate intelligence and leadership.
What method is used with the Ife sculpture
The lost wax method
What is the lost wax method
It is a method whereby a wax figure is constructed. A clay mould is then made, and when dry is heated to remove the wax. Molten metal is then poured into the mould
How fed the ife sculpture contrast with the geometric carved African figures
The Ife sculpture has a more naturalistically rounded face and figure because it was made in soft wax.
How is a king depicted in Ife sculptures
He displays a symbolic headpiece and decorative jewellery befitting of royalty
What does the formal, symmetric portrait of a queen demonstrate
It demonstrates the peak reached by the Benin sculptors in the 16th century.
What method would have been used to construct the sculpture of the queen
The lost wax method
Why would the lost wax nights have been used
To create the 3D rounded features.
What is the queen wear in on her head
A high cone-like headdress with a woven pattern on it created by plaited hair
What is worn around the queen’s neck
A tight choker enclave probably typical of her tribal customs
What does the foot price of the queen show
Is shows images of fish
What does the queen’s face show
It shows serenity and a composed expression.
What is the expression on the queen’s face similar to
Faces Serb in renaissance art
How tall is the sculpture from central Africa
About 35cm
Where is the sculpture from central Africa found
Bear the Congo river previously known as Zaire
What two facts must be remembered when looking at the date of the sculpture from central Africa
The sculpture was made out of wood which does not last long ( neither do clay or woven objects). Secondly, although the rest of the world might have been developing rapidly, there were many people how were not.
What did the sculpture from central Africa most likely a repository for
The soul of a deceased noble woman.she would have been regarded as a power figure and the tribal people would pray to her and offer gifts.
What are some various characteristics seen on the sculpture from central Africa
The features tend to be geometric and simplifies
The head is enlarged showing spirituality
The body is small as it is less important
The baby is symbolically offered
The brass decorations are geometric
What is the large head in the sculpture from central Africa represent
Spirituality
What does the small body in the sculpture from central Africa represent
The unimportance of the body.
What are power figures
They are carved wooded sculptures that have bred imbued with spiritual power by a ritual specialist
What kind of ingredients can be found in power figures
Herbal medicine, animal parts, pieces of metal and a variety of fibres
What were the ingredients in the power figures designed to do
Attract and concentrate spiritual power within the figure to intensify their strength
What were most of the power figures created to do
The added very specific issues, such as healing, divination, protection o oath taking.
Who were the power figures created for
Most of the power figures were created for an individual who may share those powers with others. Some however were intended to serve an entire community, promoting a more general state of well-being
Why were African masks created
To play an important role in a ritual or ceremony.
What was the purpose of the African masks
Frighten people away from having secret meetings
Represent special ancestors or spirits in a festival or ritual
What happens when an African mask is worn
The person wearing it is transformed into the personality concerned. This is why the figure is usually completely covered
What is the difference between western art and African art
In the western world, people display masks as decoration. The African tribe would always use it in a multi-media display
What did the multi-media display include
Sounds, scents, movements, costumes
What were the masks made out of
They were carved out of wood and decorated by engravings, burning, oiling, and adding beads, shells, horns and fibers
Where is the Mboom mask from
It is from Zaire
How tall is the Mboom mask
30 tall
What is is made out of
Wood
How is the Mboom mask worn
It fits over the head
What does it’s prominent forehead represent
A primordial ancestor that would empower an initiating ceremony.
What is on the surface of the Mboom mask
Geometric patterns.
What is on the jawline of the Mboom mask
Shells combined with beads
What are around the eyes of the Mboom mask
A band of beefs
What delineates the nose and lips of the Mboom mask
Beads
What is on the back I the mask
It is also decorated because it forms a helmet
What do D’Mba masks represent
An ideal image of a woman at the height of her power. It represents goodness and light
What happens when the D’Mba mask is used in a dance
It encourages mothers to have strength to beat children and raise them to adulthood.
Where were the D’Mba masks used
At weddings and thanksgiving ceremonies
Who wore the D’Mba masks
Sting male dancers wore the heavy structure on their heads and shoulders aided by the 4 supports.
How did the strong male dancer dress ( besides the D’Mba mask)
He was hidden by a full costume of raffia and textiles that emphasised the hips, the dancers looked through two holes between the breasts.
How did westerners initially see African masks
As primitive and not as art
When did artists start using African art as inspiration
Only at the beginning of the 20th century
Who is an artist that used African art as inspiration
Picasso
How was Picasso influenced by African art
By the fragmentation he saw in African art.
How did Picasso change his artworks to look more African
He changed his figures and faces into faceted forms and painted mainly in monochromatic shade of natural browns, blues or greens
Who is a South African artist who admired African carvings
Cecil Skotnes. He created woodcuts and later started painting the wood cuts he used too make his prints. Theo led him to a new technique
What is a woodcut
Wood panel cut into a relief design and inked
What did the settlement at great Zimbabwe form
A trading network across the plateau to the coast.
What has been excavated from the settlements at great Zimbabwe
Cinese ceramics, indian beads, Islamic glasswear amd persian pottery
What did the artefact prove
It proved that Shona people are trading widely in gold and ivory at the time of the Middle Ages in Europe.
Who constructed dwelling places on hills
A wealthy ruling class
What were the dwelling on top of the hills like
They were surrounded by thick curved walls.
How many ruins known as ‘madzimbabwe’ have been found
250
Who discovered the ruins
The local people
What is the largest and most famous of the ruins
Great Zimbabwe
What were the curved walls and towers built out of
Granite
Where is granite found
It is plentiful on the plateau.
How was the granite used to build
In was cut and shaped to form a dry stone construction
What is a tyrant stone construction
They were kept in place using arrangement and weight, not mortar.
How were the stones at the top of the curved walls arranged
They were arranged at an angle to create a herringbone pattern.
What was found in the enclosure
Birds
What were the birds carved out of
They were carved from large pieces of grey-green soap stone.
How big are the birds
About 30 cm each
What played an important role on the lives of the tribes in Zimbabwe
Symbols
What did the Zimbabwe birds symbolise
They had a symbol of authority of the chief or a king
What did the bird look like
The body was similar to that of an eagle, but it had human like limbs with toes and not claws.
What were the birds thought to represent
The ancestors because they fly and can be the messengers to the spirits.
What do on the plinth of the sculpture
There is a relied form of a crocodile, a symbol of royalty
