African Art!
Many African objects that Europeans see as art
have important non-artistic functions for the
cultures in which they originate. The African
tradition of abstraction was one important
influence on the European modernist movement
of the early twentieth century.
Features of African Art!
•  abstraction
•  integration of art objects into community life
(as opposed to the principally visual
experience of many European works of art)
•  practical or ritual functions of art objects (with
some works serving temporary purposes and
then being discarded after a period of use)
•  the importance of working within artistic and
cultural traditions, which evolve over time
Bamana Antelope
Headpieces
Artists of the Bamana people
of Mali produce antelope
headpieces, known as chi
wara. The abstract geometric
patterns of the antelopes
necks highlights their height
and musculature. These
objects vary little from year to
year and from artist to artist,
because they are traditional
objects with a particular
cultural function.
Bamana Antelope Ritual
The Bamana people use
the chi wara in rituals
celebrating seasonal
cycles such as planting or
harvests. They credit the
spirit of the antelope with
bringing their ancestors
knowledge of agriculture.
Artists create the
headpieces in the
traditional style for the
purpose of these rituals.
Congo Nail Fetishes
In the Democratic Republic
of Congo, abstract human
figures traditionally served
the purpose of releasing
spiritual energy into the
physical world. This
example, from the late
nineteenth century, still
contains the nails with which
priests pierced it. These
objects played a role in
rituals associated with
settling disputes, swearing
oaths, and warding off evil.
African Masks
This mask, created by an
artist of the Baule people of
Ivory Coast in the late
nineteenth century, would
have been used during
celebrations and funerals.
Masks of this kind inspired
European artists such as
Picasso to move toward
abstraction, though
European viewers often
viewed them out of context
and without understanding
their original purposes.