|
African Art and Architecture, works of art and architecture created on the African continent south of the Sahara. The immense Sahara acts as a natural barrier, separating African cultures to the north from those to the south. Although there has always been some intermingling of peoples on the two sides of the Sahara, differences in history and culture are pronounced. This article primarily discusses the art created south of the Sahara, a region known as sub-Saharan Africa.
African art, unlike most European art, generally serves a function. The art may satisfy an everyday household need, adorn the body, or fulfill a social or religious role. These objects of use also have artistic value because skilled artisans have designed and created them with a strong concern for visual beauty and symbolic meaning. Art objects that serve basic household needs include baskets, water vessels, eating utensils, carved headrests, and stools. Ritual objects include masks used in ceremonies and statues that commemorate and guard the remains of important ancestors. Personal adornment may take the form of decorative body scars, jewelry, or staffs and other objects that identify a person’s social status. African art objects rarely serve only one purpose. A piece of jewelry, for example, may adorn the body, indicate prestige, and at the same time be the focal point of a ritual that protects the wearer from negative forces.
|
