Jocelyn McLaughlin Exam 1: Purpose, Realism, & Symbolism

When thinking about African art a huge misconception is that all of it is primitive. In fact it was argued, the religious, military, sexual or decorative functions of the works suggested that they had not been created as art, to be appreciated for their own sake.(Riding, Alan) It wasnt until Europeans such as Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh and Henri Marisse started to further explore the context of African art and realized the aesthetic quality of it that African art was finally validated. Even still African art was still seen as something that represented something unrealistic and abstract. These ideas influenced Europeans to adopt art styles such as cubism where subjects are broken down to simple shapes then rebuilt to create geometric motifs and surrealism were all literal representations where put aside and the imagination was free to wonder. (Du Plessis, Amelia) These were the art form that represented African art and that belief is still held today. What was not shown was the beautiful craftsmen ship that created sometimes stylized but realistic art, all of which have a purpose, whether they are realistic or symbolized. As I said in my previous paper about my personal view of what art is art as a way of communication or a spiritual object can easily be found in other art forms Art is an expression; it takes human emotion and imagination and forms something moving It has a function, shows emotions and isnt always pretty When I said this I was taking about art in general but this is particularly true about art that doesnt realistic represent something. This can be seen in many African art forms. As said in the movie that we watched in class African art captures the essence and spirit of something. With the tendency of improvising

Jocelyn McLaughlin Exam 1: Purpose, Realism, & Symbolism

in artist like Philip Simmions you can truly see their emotion being worked into the piece, instead of it being perfectly planned. This habit creating while you go allows for more wiggle room and certain aspect of the piece to be made more prevalent. William Abraham stated, "When critics like Gombrich say that the African artists were incapable of realistic representation, they quite miss the point of African art. If they seek life-like representation, they should turn to secular art, the art which was produced for decorative purposes or the purposes of records, rather than moral art, the art whose inspiration is the intuition of a world force."( Msiska, Mpalive-Hangson) In this quote he is just emphasizing the point that African art isnt about representing the realistic form of something but capturing its spirit and what makes it unique. For example the Bamana female statue like the Venus of Willendorf symbolized women in general. It accentuated womanly features, fuller breast and hips. Although the proportions where over exaggerated that was the point it captured what made women unique. The purpose that most of this art is used for sometimes needs a little background knowledge so we can understand why it is shaped and formed the way it is. A perfect example of this is the Golden Stool of Ghana. If I were to just know that a war was waged over a stool it wouldnt really make sense. But if you knew that the stool was said to have descended from heaven to the first Asante king, housed the spirit of the Asante nation and that a British colonial governor demand to sit on it. (Golden Stool) Men of high power usually have these types of stools, and it would be considered a great insult if someone other than them where to sit on it. But not even the king sat on the golden stool, in the

Jocelyn McLaughlin Exam 1: Purpose, Realism, & Symbolism

ceremony they are simply lowered above it but never actually sit on it. Now that I have said this the full importance and meaning behind the stool can easily be seen. Another example is the ceremonial face mask and dances, that some saw as idol worship but were really a way of become in touch with the spirits, which was very important because spirits played a keen rule in everyday life. They protected humans and helped give a sense of security. The mask its self-made the spirit visible, the performers that wear the mask give life to the spirit and the dance shows the actions of the spirit. (Christopher D. Roy) Altogether these practices tell the story of the spirit, what it is important and can help them communicated with a higher power. These ceremonies are more being a vessel to communicate with their god. So as important as it is to appreciate an art work at face value some knowledge is needed to fully understand some pieces and its importance. Attention to details is important as well. All of the tiny and seemingly unimportant details seen usually symbolize something. Asante fertility dolls are not only used for as a type of pregnancy insurance but they also symbolize the epitome of beauty to the Asante people. Women carry these dolls around and treat them as if they were children. But although they are a symbol of fertility they have; the high flattened forehead, petite mouth and creased fat neck that shows a healthy diet, that were standards of beauty.(Fertility Doll(Akuaba)) The intricate and stylized details of some works of art can sometimes over shadow its form. A lot of the examples that I have used so far are of figure that are abstract and not realistic but that is not all that African art is. If you look at the Nigerian ceremonial bust of their rulers, these are unique to each of their rulers and have the scarification of

Jocelyn McLaughlin Exam 1: Purpose, Realism, & Symbolism

royalty. Although they are idealized to make the oni look their best you can clearly tell who they represent. This bronze metal work proves that there are many different forms to African art that are not fully represented. After trying to approaching the ideas of purpose, symbolism and realism separately it is easy to see that they all fit together to give meaning to art. African art comes in many different forms and styles from crude sculptures like the face vessels to intricate pieces like the Bambara head dresses. Carol Daddazio sums it up best by saying ...with African art, the viewer must understand the intention of the artist, the form, content, and meaning in order to decode or comprehend the work of art To speak of African art in general terms is to oversimplify a vast and rich area of human expression. So when trying to understand certain concepts and ideas pertaining to a work of art every factor must be taken into account. Depending on the purpose of the art work the form can be totally different. I believe its something like the form follows function saying that is always used in class No one would purposely make what they consider a ugly fertility doll because it is supposed to symbolize femininity, in the same way that an ceremonial mask that is supposed to represent something fearful would not be not be inviting and beautiful. Realistic art and symbolic art can be used together but seem to be used separate most of the times because they can be used to evoke different moods. When something is done in a realistic style it

Jocelyn McLaughlin Exam 1: Purpose, Realism, & Symbolism

usually has some type of historical or societal value. But when something is done is a symbolic style it seems spiritual and to have a mystical element.

Jocelyn McLaughlin Exam 1: Purpose, Realism, & Symbolism

Bibliography

Daddazio, Carol. "Overview of Introduction to African Art African Studies Center | Boston University."African Studies Center RSS. N.p., 1996. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. Du Plessis, Amelia. "Article on African Art's Influence on Western Art." Articles on African Art. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. "Golden Stool." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Jan. 2013. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. Msiska, Mpalive-Hangson. "Africa Realism - Reality In African Aesthetics And Literary Criticism Read More: Africa Realism - Reality In African Aesthetics And Literary Criticism - Art, Literature, Philosophy, and Black - JRank Articles Http://science.jrank.org/pages/10995/Realism-AfricaReality-in-African-Aesthetics-Literary-Criticism.html#ixzz2Ja5QxMCs." N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. Riding, Alan. "ART;'Primitive' No More, African Art Finds A Proper Respect." The New York Times. The New York Times, 29 Oct. 1995. Web. 31 Jan. 2013. Roy, Christopher D. "Signs and Symbols." Signs and Symbols. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Jan. 2013.