Hidden messages of objects of African art Essay

In our modern adult male kit and boodle of contrivance run into a enjoyment which is quite polar from the role they use to unravel in the past. Indeed, in ancient clips the craftsmanship of know who produced utensils obligatory for daily needs was already the source of stratagem, because their products were among few vehicles of self-expression. As the result, slightly(prenominal) of the aspirations of the ancient graphics were simultaneously the aims of use, analogous vessels for liquids, different decorated tools, etcetera However, with fourth dimension and along with the social developments at least since Hellenistic finish invention in the occidental world was becoming more(prenominal) a means of self-expression of man and of our merciful striving for beauty.This process, musical composition preserving the attraction to objects of working utilization endowed with guileistic qualities, excessively led to the separation of enhancive graphics into a mean s to achieve aesthetic satisfaction. At a certain moment, cunning began to be integrated into the salutees towards creation of living piazzas of gentlee beings, and, importantly, the works of imposture began to be valued for their subscribe to sake.Since the industrial revolution, when technologies enabled dope production of products, the role of inventionistry in the Western world underwent notwithstanding trans get upation blind because capitalism initiated . . . the bringing of art . . . into subordinate parity . . .1 Since those metres there appe ard a tendency to savvy works of art as a kind of modern icons en cheeseparingd in museums for do of import viewing. Thus, the religion of art . . . was born2, and art as a ordinate phenomenon has been by now approximately isolated from our e rattling(prenominal)day lives.In this regard, whizz of the close important deputes of museums is to find the to the nobleest degree effective airs to live with slew int o artistic environment and to teach them not tho to analyze objects with their eyes, but as well to feel them with all their senses, as if re-experiencing experiences of those human beings who created artistic objects. This task becomes especially challenging when it comes to the payation of artifacts of cultures that significantly differ from our own. To depict such challenges we may turn our attention to art of Africa, which contains a lot of exotic elements for modern spectator pumps. One of the just about important qualities of art in African cultures is its focus on immediate human experiences.In addition to racial differences among the ethnic groups of Africa that atomic number 18 reflected in their approach towards depiction of human beings, works of African art in virtually cases be expressions look so strange for modern viewers because they recreate world views and unique experiences (already furbish up by addition of and unique experiences) of their creators which atomic number 18 really different from ours. Indeed, African art builds upon heritage of several millennia of unhomogeneous cultural traditions embodied in such diverse artistic artifacts as sculptures created for rite purposes, wooden and g previous(a)en monuments, ornaments cultivate of silver and gold, unique garments, drapes, and early(a) artifacts. On grounds of this diversity, it is very hard to make oecumenicalizations ab off the African culture.However, there atomic number 18 some common elements that can be viewed as chief(prenominal) motives and themes of African art. For example, it is a well cognise fact that African natural environment is very harsh in comparison to another(prenominal) regions of the world. Consequently, for African denizens the answer to the need to maintain population has traditionally been the thrill of numerous children. Therefore, African women be primarily associated with the symbol of life, because the existence and justne ss of families and clans depends on oneness hand upon ability of woman to sacrifice lineage to children, and on other hand upon her role as supporter of old p arents and upon her mission in some(prenominal) African societies of contacting with spirits of the ancestors by means of prayers and religious rite offerings.On ground of this, many themes in African art are in one way of life or another linked with symbols of fertility of women, of soil as another source of life, and of animals and plants. For example, many African shrines are dedicated to spirits that are believed to provide fertility, and they often contain some sculptures or other art pee-pees that symbolize fertility. In a more direct fashion, in many African cultures there is an abundance of art objects that directly depict pregnant women. In this way we can see that African art has traditionally been influenced by specifics of its environment. However, one of the Western approaches to African art lies in our at tempts to find out whether Africans make art for its own sake, and this approach may be somewhat misleading.At this point we may recall our considerations of the development of art in the Western world when until comparatively recent times art was not meant to be placed in museums as it is often the case today, but rather was integrated in the life of society, for instance in religious and sluice political practices. In this connection, African art seems to have retained the ability to keep itself close to everyday botherations of people as far as it aims to reflect upon the close to urgent concerns of African people.The objects of African art bristle with expressive emotions of their masters who with the help of objects of art try to investigate their relation with the world, and who with art communicate their striving to survive in a tough environment. Therefore, African art can hardly be separated from the lives of people who created it, and this one seems to be stronger tha n in the Western artistic tradition.3One of the very fire exhibitions where we can find beautiful exemplars of African art is the exhibition attached to finesses of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas in the metropolitan Museum of artifice in New York. let us with the help of this exhibition explore how modern viewers perceive objects of quite a different culture, and whether this exhibition manages to make the displayed objects of art address to spectators in their native language. For this task we may pick several objects deterrent example of the African culture as far as they reflect upon the main traditional themes of past and present African art.It must be pointed out from the outset that very often there are no unwavering dates for many of objects of African art. This is because African artists neither signed nor go out their creations. However, as many pieces of African art are do of wood, which is not a very long-lasting secular, especially in African environment, it is archetype that most of the wooden pieces of African art can probably be dated as belonging to the end of the nineteenth or the beginning of the twentieth century.Of course, aside from wood many objects are made of stone, clay, bronze, silver, gold, ivory, and terracotta. Such objects are long-lasting and those of them that have been found in known archeological contexts and in properly investigated archaeological mendings have more or less fixed dates attributed to them.I propose to choose the following objects for the further researchA seated discover of a male from the thirteenth century, which offers an impressive flesh of care that speaks directly to viewers emotions (figure 1 in Appendix). This object originates from imposelocked Niger Delta region, the site named Jenne-jeno, which is the most ancient known city of sub-Saharan Africa. The metropolitan Museum of subterfuge acquired this object in 1981 as a bequest from Joseph Pulitzer, Harris Brisbane Dick, and Roger s Funds. (already fixed)A memorial head of a normal of the Akan ethnic group from Western Africa from the seventeenth century that reflects idealized notions of African people (figure 2 in Appendix). This objects origin was Hemang city in the Twifo region of Ghana, the land of the Akan ethnic group. It was initially a sectionalisation of Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection and was effrontery to museum by Nelson A. Rockefeller in 1967.A pendant inter dated of the ordinal century, which has an interesting history and therefore can enhance our understanding of the role of art in African cultures (figure 3 in Appendix). This object originates from Benin, a culturally important region populated by Edo address people that is a part of southern and northern The mask has a rich history of ownership, as it belonged to Brenda Z. Seligman, Prof. C. G. Seligman, and Sir Ralph Moor. In the end, it also became a part of Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection and was adroit to mu seum by Nelson A. Rockefeller in 1972. (Im panic-struck that if more expound info is needed on provenance, the only way to get it is to visit the museum and find out, because officially Metropolitan Museum states only what we have mentioned above, i.e. that it belonged to Brenda Z. Seligman, Prof. C. G. Seligman, and Sir Ralph Moor. In the end, it also became a part of Michael C. Rockefeller Memorial Collection and was gifted to museum by Nelson A. Rockefeller in 1972)Of course, there exists a diverse and statewide clay of research dedicated to such a complex phenomenon as African art. Most of the books dedicated to this topic attempt to integrate African art with social and ethnographic peculiarities of African cultures. I believe that this is a rightful path to follow, because if we try to comprehend the meaning of African objects of art while ignoring their context we risk not grasping their true meaning that was designate to them by their creators. Among books that provide such an integrated approach to the research of African art we may highlight several.One of them is the work History of Art in Africa by Monica Blackmun Visona and numerous co- actors. This book is not that much a strictly formal research but rather a detailed guide that increases our understanding of artistic forms created in different regions of Africa by different peoples and cultures, especially those of the Sub-Saharan areas. From the academic point of view, by means of a combination of modern research of various forms of African arts and their attempts to have those findings to different geographic regions and different times of African history causes had made a significant contribution to the literature devoted to the history of art. another(prenominal) relevant work that deals with African art is the book edited by Tom Phillips Africa The Art of a Continent.It is one of the most thorough general works on African art that provides detailed overview of art forms and styles, a nd at the same time stools extensive description of African tribes and their influence on regionalized art forms. In this way, this book is helpful as a source for those who would like to systemize the knowledge of African art that one already has, and to localize cultural centers of African art. In addition to the mentioned books, the work of Sidney Littlefield Kasfir coetaneous African Art is the worthy piece of reasearch that treats the transformations in African art in the latter half of the 20th century.It is a very helpful direction of research because, among other things, it shows how the traditional forms of African art are reevaluated by contemporary African artists themselves. The high level of scholarship of the author and his masterful ability to tie modernity with history co-operate to paradoxically make this book relevant for those who aim to better understand not only modern African art, but its traditional forms as well, which is the important work for this autho r.Each of the mentioned books contains some outstanding points, but at the same time none of them can pretend to be a fully comprehensive guide to African art, if it is at all possible to make a such a guide. solely as all those books cover somewhat different aspects of African art, I believe that our task is to try to reliance their findings with our immediate impressions from the contemplation of the objects of African art from the Metropolitan Museum of Art in order to achieve the highest possible level of comprehension of the uniqueness of African cultural heritage.This aim leads me to a more general task which I will try to accomplish, namely to see whether it is possible for a museum as a kind of modern cultural church of our society to present objects of an unfamiliar culture in such a way as to enable viewers to really penetrate beyond the objects material form and recreate in their minds experiences similar to those of artists who embodied their feelings in artistic creati ons. This task presupposes some psychological research, of which my own impressions from the exhibition will be the object, and also considerations about the general level of successfulness of the exhibit as deliberate by visible impressions of its other visitors.The first object of our analysis is a seated figure of a male. Due to the age of this piece of art and the fact that African artists did not inscribe their names on their creations it is unsurmountable to know who claimly was the author of this object. However, we know that this sculpture originates from a location known as Jenne-jeno, which was the most ancient known city of sub-Saharan Africa. This was a center that thrived around the ninth century AD, but declined by the beginning of the fifteenth century leaving numerous artifacts made of big iron, cast brass, and clay. While performed archaeological digs give only a vague glimpse of the true role of art in that region, the gettable heritage of the old culture of J enne-jeno definitely shows that artists of the urban society of that time possessed highly sophisticated artistic adroitnesss.For example, this particularly impressive figure, with its legs crossed, its office almost pressed against a leg, and its head touching its knee, transmits the sensation of anxiety and stress, or, alternatively, of a full immersion in a prayer. This frozen ruttish load of the sculpture bespeaks the motives of a creator of this piece of art that seemingly were aimed at expressing intense emotional experiences that could arise from such events as ritual commemoration of the last of loved people. The method of direct portrayal of emotions as if written on the face of the figure deals to actually dissolve boundaries of time and make this object universally understood. (well, sometimes we have to defend our position, and in this case it actually could be both that the figure is tense or relaxed in prayer, and its not a contradiction.In fact, I canvass the w ebsite of the Metropolitan and, ironically, there it is also said that this figure simultaneously suggests the tangled tension of anxiety and the sublime absorption of deep prayer) At the same time, sculptures like this one despite their concreteness of representation could simultaneously serve as a symbolic image of ancestors or mythic heroes, in this way existing in realms of both the material and spiritual, and therefore most probably were employed in ritual ceremonies. Indeed, the shaved head of this figure and its state of self-immersion are somewhat symbolized and remind of mourning practices that are stillness used by many cultures of sub-Saharan Africa.4 In this way, this object enables us to suppose that such practices were as well common 700 years agone among peoples of the Inland Niger Delta. notwithstanding, of course, due to the mentioned scarcity of our knowledge of the true role of art in the region of Jenne-jeno we cannot convincingly limit the role of this figure only if to mourning practices. In terms of materials used, this object is made of terracotta, a brown baked earth clay that is a durable and easily viable substance. Usually, found terracotta figures have a lot of detail, because this material was widely used in African art for production of bodily ornaments and jewelry. This sculpture is not an exception as can be seen from its physical appearance and its progress qualities.For example, the technique used for the creation of this object enabled the author to make the repeat lines of knobs and dots on the back of the figure in such a way as to give it a heightened sense of relief. By the way, such knobs and dots were employed in African art quite often, sometimes covering the undivided space of human figures. It is thought that this element in art was mantic to stand for signs of some kind of sicknesses that abound in African environment.5 combination the mentioned aspects of this object of art, I have to permit that I was g reatly move by its overall look, and I sight that the general response of other museum visitors was similar as people were apparently staying near this object for a longer time than on average. I believe the reason for this is the nice work of the artist who managed to embody in the material shape a lot of emotional load, and therefore reached a powerful effect. But what made me especially excited about this object was the realization of the fact that for the author of this work its message was most probably personally experienced, and therefore this object conforms to one of the most important tasks of art, which lies in the creation of universal space of communication that transcends bounds of time and cultures.The second object of our research is a memorial head of a ruler dated of the seventeenth century, and for which we also do not know the author. This terracotta object is a decorated enactment that depicts a serene man with accurately balanced nervus facialis features a nd stripy long neck. This form of African art belongs to what is called in some West-African cultures as mma, an idealized image that depicts the positive qualities that were expected from a ruler. Therefore, one of the main motives for the creation of this object was its involvement in ritual procedures. In fact, it is known that such portraits were crafted posthumously and were left along with similar images of preceding rulers in special sacred cemeteries and shrines called mmaso that had to keep the memory and the history of lineage of fearful members of African societies.Additionally, this practice of posthumous pictorial commemoration of rulers also broaden to members of his court and his servants, who were supposed to continue their service for their ruler after his death as well. Mmaso cemeteries were the places of regular offerings and prayers aimed at the constant support of the deceased ancestors.6 On these grounds, it stands to reason that artists who created portraits such as the one we are studying were adding a great deal of symbolism to their creations. Indeed, the general appearance of this object is such that for me it was hard to imagine the person who it was intended to copy, and I suspect that the exact physical resemblance might not have been the main concern of the author of this memorial portrait. This head is also made from terracotta, and is decorated with fragments of quartz.But in contrast to the previous terracotta object that depicts a figure in a very plastic and emotional way, this object looks as if it was consciously processed by the artist without excessive modification of the original terracotta sphere. It seems that the facial features of the man float above the rough material they are etched on, and radiate a kind and positive irony, which to my judgement testifies to a very subtle technique used by the artist that is on a par with the best recognized masterpieces of fine arts. At the same time, it seems to me that this object of art retains some mystery, as if the closed eyes of the man posit that we cannot see the world that his eyes had seen, and that we might have to become one of his contemporaries to fully perceive the world view of this ancient ruler and the artist who immortalized him.(Hm, its really hard to say what the professor meant by putting along this portion of the text. . . Do you know exactly?) Interestingly, many people in the museum behaved as if feeling in some subconscious mind way the ultimate futility of efforts to fully comprehend the message of this object, because I noticed that in most cases visitors did not spend much time near this memorial head. But I believe that with this work the artist reached peradventure the most important artistic effect, that of its ability to intrigue truly absorbed viewers, and therefore make them wonder about the hidden aspects of the culture that gave sustain to this object.The last target of our research is a mask, the object stron gly associated with African art. And, indeed, this mask had a special meaning for its creators. It is dated of the sixteenth century, and in contrast to previous anonymous works this artifact can give us some hints as to its artistic origin. In fact, this mask is thought to have been created in the beginning of the sixteenth century for the king of Benin Esigie. The mask depicts the elaborated and thoughtful portrait of the mother of the king, and it was probably used in rites that honored the kings mother. From this we can guess that this mask was created by some court artist specifically for the ritual purposes, moreover that even today in many African cultures similar pendant masks are always involved in yearly rituals of spiritual purification.To reinforce this confidence we should point out that this mask is primarily made of ivory, the material that in Benin is associated with the white color that symbolizes ritual purity of the paragon of the sea named Olokun. This god was also viewed as a spiritual guard of kings, so this mask could bear several meanings.7 In addition to ivory as a primary material, this mask is decorated with metal mosaic, has carved superficial incisions in the skin of its forehead, and holds below the chin beads made of coral. Interestingly, the collar and the poll of the mask contain images of mudfish and bearded Portuguese. Mudfish live both in the peeing and on land, and thus it stands for the dual nature of the king who is simultaneously human and divine.On the other hand, Portuguese, who arrived from the sea, were perceived as coming from the spiritual realm. In this way, this mask integrates in it numerous symbols of the African culture. In general, this object of art conveys a somewhat different impression than previous ones. First of all, its high level of detail draws attention and begs for an especially careful inspection from the side of a viewer. On the other hand, despite having many types of decorations this mask nevertheless looks very integral and thematically complete.Moreover, among the objects of our research this mask is the most down-to-earth one in terms of its resemblance to an actual human being. But at the same time it seemed to me that maybe because of its portrait-like look many people fail to notice the depth of its symbolical meaning of which the facial form of the mask is merely a small part. Thus, we can see that African artists already long time ago fully possessed the skill of integration of multilayered symbolical messages in a work of art, which uncovers the richness of their world views.On ground of our observations, we may conclude that museum exhibits can really give visitors a chance to relive experiences of cultures as different from ours as African ones are. However, the expansion of our cultural awareness is a task that perhaps to a larger degree depends on a viewer himself. Indeed, if a viewer just walks by the exhibit, she may get only a very limited impression of African art which may only sustain some formulaic notions that many of us have about it, like that there are a lot of masks, that objects of African art are of a strange look, etc. Even I must admit that without the deeper investigation of the history and hidden messages of the objects of African art that we had researched I would most probably also fail to see the true meaning of the works of African art, because a superficiality of judgement reduces the artistic creations merely to their material form and ignores their spiritual connotation.On a more practical side, I would recommend that in relation to exhibits devoted to exotic forms of art, of which African art is a good example, museums should not merely provide a nonoperational presentation of artistic objects, but rather should take more proactive steps in terms of attraction of visitors attention towards hidden aspects of art that may defy superficial attitude. For example, this purpose may be achieved through organiz ation of everydayly open regular thematic seminars on stark naked historical, ethnographic and iconographic research devoted to African and other exotic forms of art, and through advertised presentations of new objects obtained by museum.All of this would help put what other might be perceived as isolated individual objects of art into a larger cultural context, and therefore might increase public awareness of the specifics and values of art of different regions of the world.BibliographyArts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2006.Bacquart, Jean-Baptiste. The tribal Arts of Africa. Thames & Hudson, 2002.Brettell, Richard R. Modern Art 1851-1929 Capitalism and Representation. OxfordUniversity Press, 1999.Drewal, Henry John, Pemberton, John III, Abiodun, Rowland, and Wardwell, Allen, (Ed.).Yoruba nightspot Centuries of African Art and Thought. Harry N Abrams, 1990.Ezra, Kate. Royal Art of Benin The Perls Collection. Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1 992.Hahner-Herzog, Iris, Kecskesi, Maria, and Vajda, Lazlo. African Masks The Barbier-Mueller Collection. Prestel Publishing, 1998.Kasfir, Sidney Littlefield. Contemporary African Art. Thames & Hudson, 2000.Mills, C. Wright. Power, Politics, and People The Collected Essays of C. Wright MillsOxford University Press, 1967.Phillips, Tom, (Ed.). Africa The Art of a Continent. Prestel Publishing, 1999.Thompson, Robert Farris. African Art in Motion Icon and form in the Collection of KatherineCoryton White. University of California Press, 1974.Turner, Victor Witter. Revelation and divination in Ndembu ritual (Symbol, myth, and ritual).Cornell University Press, 1975.Visona, Monica Blackmun, Poynor, Robin, Cole, Herbert M., Harris, Michael D., Abiodun,Rowland, and Blier, Suzanne Preston. History of Art in Africa. apprentice Hall, 2003.Willett, Frank. African Art. Thames & Hudson, 2002. whole shebang CitedHahner-Herzog, Iris, Kecskesi, Maria, and Vajda, Lazlo. African Masks The Barbier-Muel ler Collection. Prestel Publishing, 1998.Kasfir, Sidney Littlefield. Contemporary African Art. Thames & Hudson, 2000.Mills, C. Wright. Power, Politics, and People The Collected Essays of C. Wright Mills.Oxford University Press, 1967.Paz, Octavio. Convergences Essays on Art and Literature. Harvest/HBJ Book, 1991.Phillips, Tom, (Ed.). Africa The Art of a Continent. Prestel Publishing, 1999.Visona, Monica Blackmun, Poynor, Robin, Cole, Herbert M., Harris, Michael D., Abiodun,Rowland, and Blier, Suzanne Preston. History of Art in Africa. Prentice Hall, 2003.(As you could see, I already have removed Paz from Bibliography)