The Reflection Of Social Status In African Art

This essay aims to investigate two different time periods in the history of art. It will scrutinize the influence that the respective societal contexts had on the different artists, which in turn, caused them to arrange the formal elements in a specific way. I will be examining an Egyptian sculpture of the god Isis nursing Horus, her son, as well as the Vladimir Virgin icon, which dates from the Byzantine era. Experts vary on the precise ‘lifetime’ of the Ancient Egyptian civilization, but according to Mason (2007:10) it existed from 3100 BCE up to 30 BCE. The Byzantine era, which

While I was unable to attend the museums in New York I was able to go to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and The Smithsonian Natural History Museum in Washington D.C. While I was at both museums I saw that both African art collections had a number of bronze heads of leaders and kings. I noticed that both museums had almost the identical bronze head of the king, so I decided to dedicate this paper on the bronze heads of the Benin kingdom, and the Edo peoples.

Initially there was a great deal of debate about Benin art and its display, as it did not equate with the perceptions then held about Africa. Until the British conquest of Benin in 1897, little was known about Benin and its culture apart from brief interaction with other Europeans in the sixteenth century. The perception of Africa was of a primitive, savage and uncivilised land, full of ‘abuses and fetishes and idolatries’, (Hodgkin, 1975,

Drums have always had a significant role in culture. The drum serves as the pulse of many nations and peoples and has historically had a dominant role in many of the rituals and ceremonies of the African, Latin American, and American Indian cultures.

The African exhibit at the Art Institute of Chicago is difficult to find. At the end of a shotgun wing consisting of Japanese, Korean, and other East Asian art, and beyond Native American art, sits the one-room gallery for African art. Here, most of the objects could be considered fashions, tools, or domestic objects. There is a bizarre absence of chronology, and the objects seem too similar to speak for Africa at large– as if everything on display arose from the same historical situation and from the same experimental sampling pool. Among this ad hoc assortment of characters, one would find a chest. Actually, a rather bulky jewelry box, which is immediately distinct from the precious, intimate jewelry boxes in many of the visitors’

One notable aspect of the Ancient African civilization was its magnificent art; reflecting the importance Africans placed on storytelling, the natural world, and spirits/ancestors. The Africans used art as a way to express life and culture within their generations. They believed there was "more than a mere representation of something concrete," and that "an artistic depiction of something made it an actual fact" (Bogucki). So unlike most cultures who passed on history by word of mouth, the Africans also used forms of art to create a better picture of history.

Behind every original piece of artwork, there is a creation story that weaves together the purpose of the art piece, the symbolism demonstrated, and the supporting culture that cultivates it. The intricately carved artwork of the Senufo figure is of no exception; each statue evokes not only a sense of appreciation for the statue’s aesthetic appeal but also reveals the veiled nuances of the Senufo culture. Although much of the Senufo Poro culture remains undisclosed to outsiders of the community, this paper will aim to utilize the analysis of the “Figure of Ancient Mother” to provide an original contribution regarding the Poro

In this week’s reading I especially favored “How to Portray a God-King”, because growing up my mother had devoted our entire living room to the Egyptian culture and it was filled with so many amazing miniature sculptures and paintings. I always let my imagination take over when observing these said works of art, however, learning that these figures were meant to be portrayed as immortal and timeless made it that much more interesting to learn about. For example, in the “Tomb of Ti”, one wall painting depicts him as a giant and towering over the others who are hunting. This is especially symbolic for the great impact Ti had during that time, his size to show his rank, passive stance, to show leadership rather than the act of the actual hunt,

The African American Aesthetic and the Caucasian American Aesthetic contrast starkly, revealing profound insights on the character and progression on American society.

Hieroglyphic drawings of the Ankh, the Eye of Horus, the Ntr which mean eternal life, monarch power and divinity respectively all confirm that (Silverman, 2003). The drawings, three-dimensional sculpture, expressions and register were created using a variety of materials such as wood, metals and stones sources from different regions and a study now shows as far as Afghanistan in the case of blue stones (Navran, 2008). The ornament can be said to stop from where the depiction of the royals and deities begins. A close analysis of the royals and the deities show them in different positions such as a kneeling position, standing on a throne, two royals embracing or a deity seated as in the case of hieroglyphic symbol of ‘god seated. These depictions are used for rituals and the royals and deities in the form of sculptures and expressions are created in such a way that allows those rituals or messages/texts being communicated to be done effectively. Hence, even though the colors used in the decorations are symbolic they are a creative element in the same way that the use of wood, metals and stones are when used to create the art. Hence, there is a creative aspect as well as religious aspect in ancient Egyptian decorative

“The Royal Arts of Africa: The Majesty of form” written by Suzanne Bier, speaks about the different types of art used to dress royal individuals in Yoruba and Dahomey. When the kings must go to important ceremonies they are dressed in royal beaded regalia to appear powerful, wealthy, and beautiful. The height and the cone shape of the crowns brings attention to the king's head, the head representing ideas of destiny, spiritual power, character and beauty in Yoruba. Nowadays the royal beaded regalia is no longer just the crown, and scepters it is also the gowns, leggings boots and the foot rest for the king.

Art History has its time where the focus is upon Europe. High art, as painting, sculpture and architecture is rich in these regions and it was not until post-modern times where art historians started to open the horizons and practice it not only in multiple places of the world but focusing in different issues. Race, class, gender and sexuality were issues that were explored after art historians examined multinational perspectives of art.

The depiction of Africa has been tarnished over time from the colonial reign over its people, and people like Achebe discuss how the cliche of its people are simply just that; their conventional image. Multiple views exist from a great vast number of people, from authors to speakers, who oppose the idea that African stereotypes are its

  The size of the statue’s head is larger in proportion than the rest of his body and gives attention to his face. He wears a well detailed headpiece that adds to his regal bearing and

African Art does not have a particular date to which it evolved due to most early African Art was carved in wood, which perished rapidly (Gascoigne, 2009). This is one of the main reason most art dates starts from the nineteenth and mid twentieth century. Numerous twentieth century artists respected and gathered pieces of African Art because they appreciated the bold color, expression, and structure that created a fresh start in arts history. African Art was generally committed to life, confirming activities, such as, recovering, joy, assurance, and change.