PART 4 Modern African Art:

African Art 1- In this piece of African art, there is a group of people walking with some sort of stick with the glowing sun behind them. I really like this piece because it is very traditional with the clothes the people are wearing and it has a lot of red, orange, and yellow in it like most traditional African paintings. I think it looks very nice and bright.

African Art 2- In this African painting there are more tall figures that are silhouetted and there is a bright orange and red background once again. I do not like this painting because it is a lot like the last one but not as colorful, it just seems boring to me.

African Art 3- For this last piece of African art something I thought was a little more interesting. In this painting there are some tall, lanky people doing what looks like a dance. This looks like a really good piece of traditional African art because there are the tall people like the previous paintings, they are doing some kind of dance, and the background is kept to an orange-ish color. I like this painting because it is kept traditional, but it is more colorful and interesting than other African art.

 

 

PART 3: African Art and Pablo Picasso

Pablo Picasso was inspired by African art because in the early 20th century, African masks and figures were being brought back to Paris museums because of the expansion of the French empire into Africa. There are similarities with these painting because they both have a chalky look to it which is very common with African art. Both of These pieces of art have a very noticeable amount of orange and brown, these two colors are also very common in African art. I also noticed that there are sometimes 2 or more adults and a child in African paintings. Again, The two paintings I chose both have Adults and a child, this is a pretty big give away that Picasso’s painting I chose is heavily influenced by African art.

PART 2: African Music

The instrument that is being played in this video (Person on the left) is called the Kora, Also known as the Bass Harp. The Kora is a harp made from a large calabash cut in half and covered with cow skin to make resonator with a long, hardwood neck. The sound of a Kora is a lot like a harp but when this instrument is played in a traditional style, it sounds more like a flamenco and delta blues guitar techniques. The player plucks the strings with his or her thumb and index finger while the remaining fingers are securing the instrument by placing them on either side of the strings. There are 21 strings on a traditional Kora and they are traditionally made of strips of hide.

PART 1: African Masks and Statues

Mask 1- This mask is called a Pende mask. It is a ‘Panya Ngombe’ which is a combination of a human and buffalo features. This comes from the Kasai Pende tribe. These masks are usually decorated with triangular patterns and painted with dark and light paints to created a checkerboard effect. This mask would be hung above the door to the chiefs living quarters. The Pende tribe carves several different types of masks that they use to communicate with spirits during rituals.

Mask 2- This type of mask is called a Baule mask, also known as the Goi mask. It is used in tribal dances during harvest festivals, in processions to honor distinguished visitors and at the funerals of important people. Its circular face represents the sun and the horns represent the power of a buffalo. There are two holes cut out for eyes so that the wearer can see and there is typically a rectangle mouth carved into it.

Mask 3- Dan masks typically have high foreheads, a pointed chin, and a pouting mouth. They may also have scarification that splits the forehead and nose. These masks are carved in wood and stained with a brown dye. Dan masks can be used for protection and as a channel to communicate with the spirit world. When a dancer wears a Dan mask he becomes the spirit of that mask. A masked dancer will speak in the language of the spirits and his words are interpreted by a wise man. There are many different Dan masks, each one has a distinct use during rituals or festivals. Some masks play an important part in tribal rites while others are just for entertainment.

Statue 1- This statue is a very rare Black & Red Man puppet made by the Bamana tribal people of Mali, Africa. This puppet was used in presentations of tribal history and rules of behavior. This statue has moving arms and legs and is called a rod puppet because of the rod the puppeteer holds to make it dance.

Statue 2- The Chiwara statue is a ritual object that represents an antelope. It is used by the Bambara ethnic group in Mali. The Chiwara initiation society uses Chiwara masks as well as dances and rituals associated mainly with agriculture to teach young men of Bambara about social values and agricultural techniques.

 

 

African Art Project thing

First Post