Art Appreciation – AFRICAN ART



Art Appreciation – AFRICAN ART

Let’s refresh our memories. Why do we have art appreciation? Why do we like to look at different works of art? And, what can we learn about them and from them?

(Enjoyment, beauty, interesting, learn about other people, customs, cultures, countries)

Are you ready to be art detectives? Today we’re going to look at some African art. Now, can someone tell me (raise your hand) is Africa a country or a continent? Can we find it on the map?

And, can someone tell me what we call a picture of a work of art that is not the original. A reproduction.-- very good!

So, let’s look at our first reproduction.

It’s a mask. From a tribe in Africa called The Baga Tribe.

They are a tribe of people who live on the coast, near water. Many people are farmers (mostly rice) or fishermen.

What shapes do you see?

What’s it made of? (wood and metal)

What kind of feeling do you get from looking at it?

Does it look like anything you’ve seen before?

Combination of a human face, with animal horns and ears… and teeth of a crocodile? (down the sides of the mask)

Carried above the head of the carrier, rather than covering the face of the carrier. A mask like this one was most likely worn during tribal ceremonies and dances or spiritual and/or for religious purposes. The Baga tribe believed that they could encourage good crops and an abundance of food by placing carved wooden figures in small huts and shines between their villages and farmland.

It’s 54” tall… that’s two times the size of the reproduction. Quite impactful, don’t you agree?

Let’s now look at our second reproduction. Let’s look and think first and then we’ll talk about what we can see, and try to answer any questions that it raises.

What was the first thing you saw?

What do you think it is?

What colors do you see?

How do you think it would feel if you touched it?

Does the object look mean or nice? Do the people look friendly?

This is a headdress. It comes from an African tribe called the Yoruba Tribe. Like the Baga tribe, many of the Yoruba tribe were farmers, but they did not live by the coast.

They made statues, and masks that showed animals and monsters that were powerful and symbolic of magic. People = maybe ancestors to be honored as they “control” life, Bird on top = spiritual messenger.

28” tall…. About the same size as shown in the reproduction.

What do our 2 reproductions have in common?

Both are art forms associated with the head & face. In African cultures the head is very important. But so it is in our culture. Let’s think about it… when we meet someone (either for the first time, or a friend we see every day) our eyes naturally look at their face. And we can tell how a person is feeling by their face, their expression, their look.

One final thought: we have come to see African masks and objects like these as “art.” Museums display them as “art,” and people put them on their walls as “art”…BUT, we probably should remember that they were made originally as useful objects connected to a culture. They were things produced with a specific purpose and function that was needed and used by the tribe. They were not primarily produced as art as we know it (looked at, admired, hung in a gallery, costing many $$$ etc.)

OK, Last question before we start our project…

Which one do you prefer? Raise your hands.

Who wants to make their own African mask today

I’m going to put some pictures of other African mask up… and you can take a quick look at these first as you think about your own creation.

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