The History, Criticism And Theory Of The Arts

When I began reading Chapter 1 of “Mistaking Africa,” it reminded me of our first class meeting. Professor Crowley asked us to do the same exercise Curtis Keim talks about in the text. Professor Crowley asked us what comes to mind when we think about Africa. It is a great exercise and allow us to express our perceptions of Africa. Even in class, it took me time to think about what comes to mind when I hear the word Africa, because I have not really heard much about it besides the common misconceptions: “Africa is a primitive place, full of trouble and wild animals, and in need of our help” (5). I frequently see the UNICEF commercial with Alyssa Milano, who asks her viewers how it would feel to be able to save a child’s life for fifty cents a day. The commercial precedes to play really depressing music and shows a slideshow of undernourished children, who fend for themselves in

In Basil Davidson’s video “Different but Equal,” he outlines the European perception of Africa upon their discovery of the continent. Claims that the Europeans were making about African culture, however, were far fetched and did not depict Africa in a positive manner. History according to pre-European Africa was rich and diverse, but once Europeans saw for themselves how different their continent was from Africa, they began to make up their own version of African history.

It is generally accepted by scholars and scientists today that Africa is the original home of man. One of the most tragic misconceptions of historical thought has been the belief that Black Africa had no history before European colonization. Whites foster the image of Africa as a barbarous and savage continent torn by tribal warfare for centuries. It was a common assumption of nineteenth-century European and American Whites - promoted by the deliberate cultivation of pseudoscientific racism - that Africans were inferior to Whites and were devoid of any trace of civilization or culture.

“‘Why do you say Africa instead of just saying the country you mean?’…‘You don’t know America. You say Senegal and American people, they say, Where is that...’” (Adichie 15).

By going back to one’s roots, the future of developing countries resided in the “development of Africa is one of the most constructive and universally helpful missions” (Locke, 6). This direction was a form of modernization that was an improvement of relationships between African Americans and other races.

Case Study: The use of assemblage and the found object in historical and contemporary art practice.

Just like everything else in life, art has its critics. Art criticism is the expression used to describe the act of making selective judgments, both positive and negative, about an art piece. Just as art is so diversely expressed and interpreted, those who critique it also have various methods and use various standards when criticizing an art piece. There are many theories critics use to evaluate art but there are three basic theories most commonly put to use by professionals. The three basic theories are: formal theories, contextual theories, and expressive theories. Formal theories focus on the formalities of art. Critics using formal theories pay close attention to the making of a piece, how each section of the art piece works to form a visual experience that may or may not attract the attention of those who come across it. Formalists’ attention is centered on the formal organization rather than the themes, which they deem irrelevant. Contextualists, on the other hand, value the theme and its relevance to the times in which the artwork was created. The contextual theories deal with the context in which an art piece is used; what it symbolizes concerning the culture and values of the environment. Lastly, there are the expressive theories. Expressionists are more concerned with the artist and the personal expression put into the work. Also, because art is a method of communication, expressive theories

This chapter in Africans and Their History by Joseph Harris presents some of the roots of the stereotypes and myths about Africa in the past and for the most part are still held today. Harris discusses how the “greats” of history, geography, and literature starting a path of devaluation of Africans that writers after their time followed. Harris also denounced the language that these “greats” used to describe and talk about Africans. He asserts that this language inherently painted Africans as inferior and subhuman.

The realm of arts in itself can be perceived as a paradoxical and subjective one, causing struggle for people to come to a universal agreement on what art symbolizes and where its purpose lay. Despite this, we may draw a vague generalisation from the understanding of the majority population that art is a man-made/interpreted existent form, with purpose of communication - such as through words or paintings, to evoke some kind of mental response from an audience, meanwhile some kind of intrinsic quality should be achieved through technique and ideas etc (Lagemaat pg.330 – 333). Yet in the eyes of an artist, Picasso states that the purpose of art is “a lie that brings closer the truth”. To evaluate this claim, further exploration of what a

In many people 's eyes, Africa is a land of endless wars, sufferings, and people that are far from the standards of the Western civilization, but nothing beyond that. In reality, Africa is full of diverse and different aspects of life. Africa has its own unique culture that was not gained from the Europeans. Achebe says, “A sudden hush had fallen on the women, who had been talking….Nwoye had heard that twins were put in earthenware pots and thrown away in the forest” (Achebe 61).

Art history allows for a greater understanding of the progression of human thought and how conditions from one time period to another are reflected in art. Humanity represents itself through art and by doing so we are able to take a deeper look into the mentality and emotions that were held within a certain time period. Human studies such as cultural studies or history only highlight small specific areas of humanity while art history combines the two and gives a comprehensive look into all factors that influenced not only the art of a certain time but the events that influenced certain styles.

     Out of all of the continents, Africa is the most central. It is told that the first man was found in Africa, so with this, many feel that Africa is the birthplace of human culture. Within this continent, there are many different lifestyles, which are lived. Many blame the variety of lifestyles on western influence, but the truth is that different lifestyles began thousands of years before the west had influence on Africa. African’s

Culture is part of our everyday life; it can be anything from sports, food, clothing or even lifestyle. On the onset, the support of arts and culture should not be limited to the cultural argument alone, as one cannot deny that arts and culture is important for the growth of society. Apart from the financial aspect of a society, arts and culture go a long way towards making the society more holistic.

Art is about ideas and representing them into visible perceptions and concepts. These ideas come from the heart and mind of the individual artist, putting all the talent they have into the artwork. In a way, that makes everyone that can specialize in a certain activity and create their expressions an artist. A cook preparing a meal with an appetizing appearance, an artist painting a beautiful painting, or a football star breaking a tackle for a game-winning touchdown all have the performer- the artist- in common. Some societies use art in a more drastic form, such as religious activities, and it symbolizes great meaning. For other societies, artists perform their talent in exchange for money, and make a career out of it.

“Painting today is pure intuition and luck and taking advantage of what happens when you splash the stuff down. “- Francis Bacon. However when I learnt more about history of art and the way each movement and happenings in the world inspired artist to make new works, I was able to see much more than just a canvas with random paints and sketches. The interesting part about this concept is that each piece of art could be interpreted in many different ways. In contemporary art there isn’t right and wrong, each of us view and find different meanings and connections with artworks.