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Arts African art A brief History of African art
Arts African art A brief History of African art
| A brief History of African art |
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One of the defining characteristics of African art lies in the African masks, which typically have distorted faces as well as limbs. This lends a certain element of drama to these works of art, which was later used by Picasso for his Cubism forms of artwork. In fact, one of the oldest works of such nature originated from Nok village in the place of Nigeria. These masks are made of Terracotta and dwell on human subjects. The defining aspect of these masks is that they do not lay importance on the anatomy of the human body. Wooden and cast metal carvingsWooden and cast metal statues with carvings were also an intrinsic part of African culture. However, the wooden versions could not withstand the onslaught of termites, which infested the land. Therefore, only cast metal survived.Terracotta carvings belonging to 1st century AD have been unearthed in Ife as well as Jenne. The 15th century saw the Yoruba people perfecting the art of sculpture on cast metal. These statues used to be cast either in pure copper or in brass. The statues and masks had lifelike qualities and intense expressions.Wood carvings, tribal art and figurines made in Terracotta are all intrinsic to African art and culture. African art has a mystery and sense of mysticism, which lends these artifacts all the more appeal. |