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Art History > Unit 6: Art of Africa > Flashcards

Unit 6: Art of Africa Flashcards

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1
Q

Great Zimbabwe: Identifiers

A

Style: Shona People
Artist: Unknown
Location: Zimbabwe
Date: 1000-1400 CE

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2
Q

Great Zimbabwe: Form

A
  • 3 distinct sections of
    Great Zimbabwe: 1. The Hill Ruins
    2. The Great Enclosure (circular wall)
    3. the Valley Ruins
  • Walls 800 feet long, 32 ft. tall
  • built from cut granite blocks, walls slope inward
  • smaller stone structures and towers
    *conical tower is surrounded by circular wall
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3
Q

Great Zimbabwe: Function

A
  • Conical tower: used as a granary, A Shona ruler showed their power by the amount of grain they had
  • Circular wall: demonstrates power, protect houses, people, and markets, site of religious rituals, wall separated commoners from royal families
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4
Q

Great Zimbabwe: Content

A
  • Zimbabwe was a trading center and royal complex; items from Persia, China, Tanzania found
  • 250 clay structures: interior furnishing
  • built around cave that held religious importance to Shona people
  • large towers connected to the wall provide a 360 view of approaching enemies
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5
Q

Great Zimbabwe: Context

A
  • Zimbabwe means “houses of stone”
  • internal and external passageways tightly bounded, narrow, and long; occupants walk in single file, paralleling experiences in African bush
  • conical tower modeled on traditional shapes of grain silos; control over food symbolized wealth, power, and royal largesse
  • tower resembles a granary and represented a good harvest and prosperity; grain gathered, stored, and dispensed as a symbol of royal power
  • abandoned around 15th century, surrounding area could no longer supply food + deforestation
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6
Q

Great Zimbabwe: Context 2

A
  • soapstone sculpture of a seated bird resting on atop a register: discovered within circular wall
  • sculpture though to represent power of Shona kings
  • Conical tower believed to be made to worship the supreme all creator god, Mwari
  • Shone are the largest ethnic group in Zimbabwe
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7
Q

Great Mosque of Djenne: Identifiers

A

Style: Islamic Architecutre
Artist: Unknown
Location: Mali
Date: 1200 CE

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8
Q

Great Mosque of Djenne: Form

A
  • 3 tall towers; center tower is a mihrab
  • vertical fluting drains water off the surfaces quickly
  • made from abode (mud brick)
  • rectilinear and partly enclosed by an exterior wall
  • supported by 90 pillars, 3 minarets
  • earthen roof, terracotta lids cover holes on the roof
    *Toron’s - timer poles pole out of the mosque called torons for decoration and climbing the mosque for replastering
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9
Q

Great Mosque of Djenne: Function

A
  • Largest mud-brick mosque in the world: still has a practicing congregation, epicenter for religious and cultural life
  • Location of Crepissage, a festival dedicated to replastering of the Mosque
  • political symbol to Europe: French took control in 1892
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10
Q

Great Mosque of Djenne: Content

A

Topping conical pillars are ostrich eggs: symbols of fertility, purity, & good fortune
* timber beams throughout are both decorative and structural

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11
Q

Great Mosque of Djenne: Context

A
  • inhabited since 250 bce, djenne became a market center and important link in the trans-Saharan gold trade
  • rebuilt 3 times: built by first Muslim ruler in Djenne- Koi Konboro, Islamic culture had impact on region
  • tombs of scholars adjacent to mosque
  • French journalist Felix Dubois published plan for 1907 rebuilding
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12
Q

Wall Plaque, from Oba’s Palace: Identifiers

A

Style: Edo People
Artist: Unknown
Location: Benin
Date: 1500 CE

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13
Q

Wall Plaque, from Oba’s Palace: Form

A
  • lost wax casting technique
  • brassworking took technical skill
  • traditional depictions of figures from Beninese culture combined with brass work of European cultures
  • Manilla: bracelet worn by Portuguese, melted down to make plaques
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14
Q

Wall Plaque, from Oba’s Palace: Function

A
  • Decorated palace walls: made in Paris and attached to pillars in Oba’s palace
  • show court rituals that occurred in the palace
  • order of plaques in kingdom show history of kingdom
  • sequence unknown due to items being taken by westerners in 19th century
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15
Q

Wall Plaque, from Oba’s Palace: Content

A
  • king attended by several court attendants: attendants appear smaller, less important than the king
  • king shown riding a horse and wearing expensive necklaces and jewelry: reference to first Oba to travel by horse
  • Rosette may be reference to Christian crosses or designs illuminated manuscripts
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16
Q

Wall Plaque, from Oba’s Palace: Context

A
  • trade with Portuguese empire: began 15th century
  • 18th century: Portuguese empire began declining
  • British began advancing into Benin: tension; British sought to dominate local peoples and extract resources
  • Punitive Expedition of 1897: British raided Oba’s palace and burned city around it
  • took art valuables back to Britain: this piece was stolen, ownership currently under debate
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17
Q

Sika dwa kofi (Golden Stool): Identifiers

A

Style: Ashanti People
Artist: Unknown
Location: Ghana
Date: 1700 CE

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18
Q

Sika dwa kofi (Golden Stool): Form

A
  • made of wood and gold
  • carved using traditional Ashanti methods
  • carved using a single block of wood
  • crescent shaped seat that is held off the ground by a flat base
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19
Q

Sika dwa kofi (Golden Stool): Function

A
  • stool is divine throne of Ashanti people
  • bells on stool supposed to warn king of danger
  • stool used in celebrations and processions
  • believed to embody spirit of Ashanti nation
  • nobody allowed to sit on it so they keep it on its side`
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20
Q

Sika dwa kofi (Golden Stool): Content

A
  • carved wood block coverd with gold
  • 2 bells tied to each end of it
  • contains intricate designs in midsection connecting seat to the base
  • seen with small figures attached to seat
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21
Q

Sika dwa kofi (Golden Stool): Context

A
  • when each person comes of age they are given a stool from their parents
  • each person gets their own stool and people do not share them
  • high Priest Okomfo Anokye go the stool to drop into the lap of the first king
  • stool is more important to the Ashanti people than the king
  • many conflicts have broken out over it most recent in 1921
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22
Q

Ndop of King Mishe miShyaang maMbul: Identifiers

A

Style: Kuba People
Artist: Unknown
Location: Democratic Republic of Congo
Date: 1760 CE

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23
Q

Ndop of King Mishe miShyaang maMbul: Form

A
  • carved out of wood
  • intricate detailing on arms, drums, face, and platform
  • 1978 inches
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24
Q

Ndop of King Mishe miShyaang maMbul: Function

A
  • commemorates accomplishments of King it portrays
  • record of the king’s reign
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25
Q

Ndop of King Mishe miShyaang maMbul: Content

A
  • anthropomorphic figure with enlarged head
  • head considered center of intelligence and idea
  • sits corss-legged on raised platform
  • holds royal drum and wears a hat (crown?)
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26
Q

Ndop of King Mishe miShyaang maMbul: Context

A
  • commissioned in 1710 by Kuba King Mishe … maMbul at height of his reign
  • celebrates his generosity and great number of loyal subjects
  • Ndop is record of his reign and solidifies his accomplishments
  • purchased by Brooklyn Museum in 1961
  • collected in 1909 by a colonial minister in Belgian Congo Kuba people di not have written historical records; instead used Ndops
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27
Q

Power Figure (Nkisi n’kondi): Identifiers

A

Style: Kongo People
Artist: Unknown
Location: Democratic Republic of Congo
Date: 1875 CE

28
Q

Power Figure (Nkisi n’kondi): Form

A
  • wood and metal; a power figure (a magical form seemingly carved in the likeness of a human)
29
Q

Power Figure (Nkisi n’kondi): Function

A
  • Strong sculptural tradition
  • used power figures as reminders of social obligations and enforcers of proper behavior
  • healing and protection to community
  • symbolize honoring of contracts and agreements
  • wooden figure mean to highlight its function in human affairs
30
Q

Power Figure (Nkisi n’kondi): Content

A
  • elongated belly button with cowrie shell, symbols of fertility, link to ancestors, and wealth (shells used as currency)
  • wide, staring eyes and imposing stance- ensure no other forces interfere ritual function
  • medicinal combinations inside them, covered by a piece of glass, represents other world, symbolized contact with supernatural
31
Q

Power Figure (Nkisi n’kondi): Context

A
  • spiritual importance and protection
  • mediators between ancestral spirit world and living world
  • historic document of people who look for help from ritual specialist
    *confiscated/destroyed by missionaries of late 19th century when found
  • carved by spiritual specialist who activiate4s figures by driving metal objects into wooden surface to make it angry and rouse to action
32
Q

Female (Pwo) Mask: Identifiers

A

Style: Chakwe People
Artist: Unknown
Location: Democratic Republic of Congo
Date: 1900 CE

33
Q

Female (Pwo) Mask: Form

A
  • Wooden mask, carved from wood Alstonia
  • wood stained with red clay and oil
  • eyes covered in white clay
  • braided fiber coiffure
  • made by a man & worn by a man to honor a women (mothers)
34
Q

Female (Pwo) Mask: Function

A
  • dancing mask: ritualistic/religious- walked in a graceful and stately way, slow and respectful
  • one of the most popular masks
  • honor the founding female ancestor of Chakwe lineage: matrilineal society
35
Q

Female (Pwo) Mask: Content

A
  • Pwo: younger woman who has given birth
  • adorned jewelry, tattoos, and elaborate hairstyle
  • eyes closed - she is already knowing: spiritual ability of second sight, power comes from being able to give birth
  • tattoos- around eyes
  • hairstyle popular at the time: women could see themselves in this mask
36
Q

Female (Pwo) Mask: Context

A
  • matrilineal culture
  • dance the pwo to honor founding female ancestor of their lineage
  • man dresses as woman for the dance
  • when mask becomes unusable it dis discarded, when the wearer dies it is buried with the dancer
  • culture relatively unknown to Europeans: did not begin trading till 1900s, traded with other African groups
37
Q

Portrait Mask (Mblo): Identifiers

A

Style: Baule People
Artist: Unknown
Location: Côte d’Ivoire
Date: 1900 CE

38
Q

Portrait Mask (Mblo): Form

A
  • made of wood
  • symmetrical
  • high foreheads and large eyes
39
Q

Portrait Mask (Mblo): Function

A
  • dancing mask (religious)
  • showed beauty of Baule culture
  • Mblo masks shows Baule sculpture style
40
Q

Portrait Mask (Mblo): Content

A
  • pays tribute to community’s most admired member: man normally gave woman mask to award her for her dancing skills & beauty
  • woman is Moya Hanso and man is her stepson
41
Q

Portrait Mask (Mblo): Context

A
  • shows respect Baule people have for their ancestors
  • masks were carv3ed to represent a specific person (though not a portrait) so each one was different)
  • mask shows refined details and powerful presence
  • individuals are honored by these details
42
Q

Bundu Mask: Identifiers

A

Style: Mende People
Artist: Unknown
Location: Sierra Leone
Date: 1900 CE

43
Q

Bundu Mask: Form

A
  • carved out of wood
  • coated with palm oil: glow/shiny surface
  • worn on top of the head- not in front of the face
  • face of the wearer is obscured by raffia
44
Q

Bundu Mask: Function

A
  • made by a man
  • worn by women and ritual was for women: initiation of young girls, instructed on how to become good wives and mothers in order to have productive adulthood
  • represents ideal feminine beauty: white clay - dry
45
Q

Bundu Mask: Content

A
  • shiny surface on mask represents healthy glowy skin
  • rolls at back of neck: fertility and reproduction/ wealth and high status
  • mouth - small and pursed indicated composure, not gossip (dangerous)
  • nose delicate looking, loathing of bad smells, pureness
  • eyes cast downward, goodness, reveals a persons true feelings/reserved
  • eyes are slits: conceal identity and make it impossible to communicate w eye contact
46
Q

Bundu Mask: Context

A
  • Sande Society is a secret society, mask and society instructs girls how to cook, raise kids, be good wife, cultural values
  • surface of mask indicates transition to womanhood
  • one of the only masks made for women, most made for men
  • costume worn in ceremony is made of raffia, no part of body left 3exposed to not allow spirits to enter and to not let identity be known
47
Q

Ikenga (Shrine Figure): Identifiers

A

Style: Igbo People
Artist: Unknown
Location: Nigeria
Date: 1900 CE

48
Q

Ikenga (Shrine Figure): Form

A
  • carved wooden sculpture
  • extreme variation in size
  • taller than they are wide
49
Q

Ikenga (Shrine Figure): Function

A
  • Personal use: source of strength and power for the owner, designs and carvings to show that you were an expert at your profession
  • not meant to be a true portrait
  • kept in home of owner, in sanctuary
50
Q

Ikenga (Shrine Figure): Content

A
  • human face and animal attributes
  • most ikenga hold a sword in their right hand
  • figure carved to represent who3ever commissioned figure to be made
  • horns represent owners individual identity
51
Q

Ikenga (Shrine Figure): Context

A
  • made by Igbo people of present day Nigeria
  • Igbo civilization began in 19th century and still survives
  • most of the art was not meant to be interpreted literally
52
Q

Lukasa (Memory Board): Identifiers

A

Style: Luba People
Artist: Unknown
Location: Democratic Republic of Congo
Date: 1900 CE

53
Q

Lukasa (Memory Board): Form + Function

A

Form: wood, beads, metal, handheld wooden objects
Function: * illustrate political and historical ideas
* enables oral retelling of history in Luba culture
* periodically used in spiritual rituals
* allude to ancestral deities; record names of royal Luba line

54
Q

Lukasa (Memory Board): Content

A
  • wooden boards covered with beads, metal, and shells, assembled so as to tell a story
  • narrow center of board- easier to hold
55
Q

Lukasa (Memory Board): Context

A
  • provides info on how they maintain order and discipline in society
  • only most senior members of the council can interpret boards
  • Luba had access to a great variety of natural resources
  • read by touching surface with forefinger
56
Q

Aka Elephant Mask: Identifiers

A

Style: Bamileke People
Artist: Unknown
Location: Cameroon
Date: 1900 CE

57
Q

Aka Elephant Mask: Form

A
  • tunic made of brown cloth with geometric shapes
  • mask made out of black fabric with small blue, white, gold and orange beads and circular diamond shapes
58
Q

Aka Elephant Mask: Function

A
  • mask was sued during masquerades: demonstrate social hierarchy
  • patterns on mask represent societies political factions
59
Q

Aka Elephant Mask: Content

A
  • 2 large circular ears on both sides and a long piece of cloth covered in beads that ran down body representing trunk
  • holes cut into mask for persons eyes and mouth
  • covered in beads and decorations in different colors: main piece is isosceles triangle, related to patterning of leopard
60
Q

Reliquary Figure (byeri): Identifiers

A

Style: Fang People
Artist: Unknown
Location: Cameroon
Date: 1900 CE

61
Q

Reliquary Figure (byeri): Function

A
  • guard family reliquary boxes
  • consulted when considering an important decision
  • used to teach ancestral history to young men of society
  • express spiritual ideas
62
Q

Reliquary Figure (byeri): Content

A
  • head symbolic of infant
  • body = adult
  • enlarged head indicating intelligence
  • bulging bellybutton- link to ancestors
  • bulging muscles contrast with a contemplative/serene face + symmetrical pose
  • popular hairstyle
  • elongated torso, downcast eyes, closed mouth
  • powerful musculature
  • wooden carved figure
63
Q

Reliquary Figure (byeri): Context

A
  • admired qualities of Fang people
  • guard boxes contents from forbidden gaze of people
  • contained bones of important members of society
  • not in cemeteries- nomadic culture
  • abstraction
  • guardian figure not realistic
  • honor/respect by closed eyes and patient expression/ strength to ward off spirits/humans
64
Q

Veranda Post of enthroned king and senior wife (Opo Ogoga): Identifiers

A

Style: Yoruba People
Artist: Olowe of Ise
Location: Nigeria
Date: 1910 CE

65
Q

Veranda Post of enthroned king and senior wife (Opo Ogoga): Form + Function

A

Form: * 1 of 5 carved wooden posts
* painted
* hand carved
* hardwood timber
* 5 ft. high
Function: veranda post, architectural, structural support for palace at Ikere

66
Q

Veranda Post of enthroned king and senior wife (Opo Ogoga): Content

A
  • depicts king seated (focal figure)
  • senior wife behind, crowning him, large scale and pose underscore her importance: participating in coronation and political advisor to king
  • small figures at feet of king represent a female kneeling, court messenger, Osun the river god
67
Q

Veranda Post of enthroned king and senior wife (Opo Ogoga): Context

A
  • influential style in Yoruba culture for centuries
  • Olowe considered by many the best Yoruba carver ever, died in 1938
  • most important of the 4 veranda posts commissioned, focal point of entry

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