African art has reigned for decades exploring numerous media such as painting, sculptures, pottery, textile, jewellery, and masks. Most of these forms embody unique characteristics, building a legacy that has shaped the creative thinking of well-known artists in history.
This article highlights 4 historical African art forms that has shaped the art space. Based on their style and focus, these pieces have made African art inclusive in the international and local markets. They deserve a moment in time to always be referenced for symbolising past memories, richness in culture and story telling of these countries ancestors.
Below is a list of 4 of the most influential pieces of historical art.
NOK ART
These terracotta sculptures are made of local clay with coarse tempers. Although many were found in broken fragments; human heads and other body parts wearing a profusion of beads, anklets, and bracelets lead scholars to believe they were once life-sized. They have enormous ears and genitals, and geometric indications of eyes and eyebrows with perforations for pupils and detailed treatment of heads, noses, nostrils, and mouths.
Nok art was discovered in 1928 in a small tin-mining village in Nok, Nigeria. The sculptures were first brought to light in 1943 by archaeologist Bernard Fagg when he learned tin miners had encountered samples of animal and human sculptures eight meters deep in the alluvial deposits of tin mining sites.
IGBO UKWU ART
Igbo-Ukwu is a Nigerian town where the earliest cast bronze artifacts were found. They were discovered in the 9th century in the compounds of locals which were identified as Igbo Isaiah, Igbo Richard and Igbo Jonas. The Igbo Ukwu vessels have intricate designs and patterns of animals who live on land. The traditional sculpture comprises portraits of important people and military generals. Most of the sculptures are believed to express respect for royalty.
DOGON ART
The Dogon are people who live in the Mali, the western region of Africa. They have a rich culture that is full of art, music, and dance. Their art is known for being used in masked performances, displayed as figural sculptures, architecture, and cosmology. The Dogon sculptures are linked with spiritual beliefs related to their ancestors. Both real ancestors and mythic Nommo spirits. Their most well-known artworks are ceremonial masks made from wood and fiber. The ceremonial masks are believed to serve as a bridge to the supernatural world. These masks are often very colorful and have exaggerated features.
BAMBARA ART
The Bambara people, also called Bamana live in the region around Bamako, the capital of Mali. Their art pieces were created for religious purposes, as well as to define cultural and religious differences. Their artistic tradition include pottery, sculpture, weaving, iron figures, and masks. They have six male societies; Ntomo, Tyiwarra, Komo, Kono, Kore and Nya. Each society is identified with its own mask’s unique characteristics. Bambara sculptors also produce statues of variable size with distinct marked features, such as female figures with imposing breasts.
African art is full of diverse legacies, it is acknowledged as one of the beautiful creations in history. Victor Ehikhamenor is a Nigerian-American multidisciplinary visual artist and writer known for his vibrant and incisive works influenced by traditional African motifs and religious cosmology. Another Nigerian artist, Tola Wewe’s work is widely acclaimed for its originality. His style draws from the Ona symbols of the Yoruba culture and his themes project traditional folklores and myths of his native culture. These are only a few names mentioned, but we can understand from this that African art was powerful enough to attract many to their forms.
Historical art from Africa is powerful and so bold, it holds inspiration for many artists globally in many different ways.
