African Art

Description

Chapter 27
Jasmine Hobson
Flashcards by Jasmine Hobson, updated more than 1 year ago
Jasmine Hobson
Created by Jasmine Hobson over 6 years ago
0
0

Resource summary

Question Answer
Title, date, form, culture, medium, materials, content, symbolism, original context, purpose, theme, other works Title: Great Zimbabwe Date: c1000-1400 Form: walls: 800ft long, 32ft tall, 17ft thick at base; walls slope inward toward the top; internal and eternal passageways, forcing occupants to walk in single file; stone enclosure Culture: Great Zimbabwe Medium: ashlar masonry Materials: exfoliated granite Content: Zimbabwe derives from a Shona term meaning “venerated houses” or “houses of stone”; conical tower modeled on traditional shapes of grin silos; passageways parallel experiences in African bush; tower resembles a granary Symbolism: control over food: wealth, power, and royal largesse; granary: good harvest and prosperity Original Context: Zimbabwe Purpose: prosperous trading center and royal complex; probably a royal residence Theme: ashlar masonry; royal residence Other Works: Saqsa Woman, Angkor Wat, Parthenon; Palace of Versallis, Macchu Picchu
Title, date, form, culture, medium, content, practicality, original context, changes, innovation, theme, other works Title: Great Mosque Date: c1200, remodeled 1906-1907 Form: three tall towers; crowning ornaments have ostrich eggs; torons: old beams projecting from walls Culture: African Medium: adobe(mud-brick) Content: center tower is mihrab; ostrich eggs: fertility and purity; torons act as permanent ladders for the maintenance of the building; largest adobe mosque in the world Practicality: torons: maintenance; vertical fluting drains water off surfaces quickly Original Context: Djenné, Mali Changes: remodeled in 1907 Innovation: torons Theme: mosque Other Works: Córdoba Grey Mosque, Mosque of Selim II, Isfahan Great Mosque
Title, date, form, culture, medium, content, technique, original context, changes, purpose, theme, other works Title: Wall plaque from Oba’s palace Date: 1550-1680 Form: emphasis on heads; bodies are often small and immature; high relief; hierarchical scale; possibly stepping on fallen leader Culture: Benin Medium: brass Content: 900 plaques made; between 16-18 in; part of sprawling palace complex; wooden pillars covered with plaques; shows aspects of court life in Benin culture; Oba(king) believed to be direct descendant of Oranmian, the legendary founder of the dynasty; only the Oba was allowed to be shielded in the way depicted on the plaque; symbols of high rank are emphasized; ceremonial scene at court Technique: lost wax process(cire Perdue) Original Context: Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Nigeria Purpose: decorated walls of royal palace in Benin Theme: bronze/brass work Other Works: David by Donatello, Great Buddha at Todai-ji; Shiva as Lord of Dance
Title, date, form, culture, medium, content, original context, changes, purpose, theme, other works Title: Golden Stool Date: c1700 Form: bells hang from the side; entire surface inlaid with gold Culture: Ashanti Medium: gold over wood Content: symbol of Ashanti nation; never actually used as a stool; never allowed to touch the ground; new king is raised over it; carried to the king on a pillow; he alone is allowed to touch it; taken out on special occasions; bells rung to arm the king of danger; replicas often used in ceremonies , but each replica is different; War of the Golden Stool: March-September 1900, conflict over British sovereignty, they tried to sit on the stool, caused an uproar and subsequent rebellion, war ended in British annexation and Ashanti de facto independence; the stool fell from the sky into the lap of the first king Osei Tutu Original Context: Ghana(Gold Coast); location unknown Changes: hidden from the British and never found Purpose: contains the soul of the nation Theme: sacred objects Other Works: Kaaba, Landon Stella, Gold and Jade Crown
Title, date, form, culture, medium, materials, content, original context, changes, purpose, theme, other works Title: Ndop (portrait figure) of King Misheard miShyaang maMbul Date: 1760-1780 Form: cross-legged pose, sits on a base, face seems uninvolved; above moral affairs; a peace knife in left hand, handle facing out; royal regalia: bracelets, arm bands, belts, headdress Culture: Kuba Medium: wood Materials: wood and oil Content: presented in an ideal state; not an actual representation of a deceased king, but his spirit; made after death of the king; each king is commemorated by symbols on the base figure; one of the earliest existing African wood sculptures; oldest Ndop in existence; kept in the king’s shrine with other work called a set of “royal charms” Original Context: Congo Purpose: commemorative portraits of Kuba rulers, acted as a surrogate for the king in his absence Theme: authority figures Other Works: George Washington by Houdon, Tamati Waka Nene by Lindauer, Stele of Hammurabi
Title, date, form, culture, medium, content, original context, purpose, theme, other works Title: Kuba Nyim(ruler) Kot a Mbweeky III in state dress with royal drum Date: 1971 Form: photo of Kuba ruler enthroned wearing royal regalia: headdress, necklace of leopard teeth, sword, lance, drums of reign, basket; elaborate costume, could weigh 1855 pounds Culture: Kuba Medium: photo Content: he needed help to move in it; costume: splendor of his court, his greatness, his responsibilities, earth, status, and power; ruler often buried with the material after his death Original Context: Congo Purpose: royal ceremonies Theme: display of leadership Other Works: Augustus of Prima Porta
Title, date, form, culture, medium, materials, content, performance, symbolism, original context, changes, purpose, theme, other works Title: Nkisi n’kondi (Power figure) Date: c late 19th century Form: alert pose, emphasized delvous(navel), pierced with many nails Culture: Kongo Medium: power figure Materials: wood and metal Content: spirits are embedded in the images; spirits can be called upon to bless or harm others, cause death, or give life; Performance: nails and blades are inserted or removed from it; medicine was placed inside the delvous Symbolism: figure: spirits; navel: person’s life/soul Original Context: Congo Changes: was painted Purpose: recovery from disease, helping communities out of difficulties, destroying enemies Theme: wood; used to gain a power Other Works: Rottgen Pieta, Transformation mask, Nio guardian figure; Ahu ‘ula, Transformation mask
Title, date, form, culture, medium, content, performance, original context, patron, purpose, theme, other works Title: Mblo (Portrait mask) Date: late 19th - early 10th century Form: broad foreheads, pronounced eye sockets, column-shaped nose; quiet faces; introspective look; peaceful face, meditative; eyebrows in an arch, scarification Culture: Baule Medium: wood and pigment Content: dancer wears it and clothes of the honored person and is accompanied by the actual person during the performance; idealized representation of a real person; not a portrait in the modern sense of the term; portraits of real people, even if commemorative, are rare in African art Performance: presented at performances in which a person is honored by having ritual dances and tributes are performed in someone’s honor Original Context: Côte d'Ivoire Patron: masks commissioned by a group of admirers, not by one person Purpose: given as a gift that reflects an artistic double Theme: Performance Art Other Works: Presentation of Fijian mats; The Crossing by Viola; Plague of Ergastines
Title, date, form, culture, medium, materials, content, technique, original context, purpose, theme, other works Title: Pwo (female) mask Date: late 19th - early 20th century Form: enlarged eye sockets, pushed in chin, slender nose, high forehead, balanced features, almost closed eyes, scarification Culture: Chokwe -matriarchy Medium: wood Materials: old, pigment, fiber, and metal Content: masks depict females, but worn by men, male dancers are covered with their identities. Masked; dressed as omen with braided hair; ritual in which men move like women; closed eyes: death, mysticism; is discarded when not in use; can be burned with the dancer; ideal beauty Technique: created in secret Original Context: Congo Purpose: depict female ancestors Theme: faces; Performance Art Other Works: roman patrician, transformation mask, Tamati Waka Nene by Lindauer; Presentation of Fijian mats; The Crossing by Viola; Plague of Ergastines
Title, date, form, culture, medium, materials, content, practicality, original context, changes, purpose, theme, other works Title: Bundu Mask Date: 19th - early 20th Form: large forehead, small silt eyes, tight-lipped mouth, wears rings Culture: Mende: Sande Society(all female) - prepared girls for adulthood Medium: wood Materials: wood, cloth, and fiber(raffia), palm oil Content: only worn by women; rite of passage in which they had to live outside society for a year and then have this ritual; prepared them for marriage; idealized female beauty; elaborate hairstyle: wealth and status; lips: secrets not revealed; women wear black raffia gown hides the body: Sowei, the water spirit; rings: concentric waves when Sowei breaks through surface water; large forehead: knowledge; individualized; masks rests on head; black: water, coolness, and humanity Practicality: oil for protection and lustrous effect Original Context: Sierra Leone Changes: was a secret until a European exposed the ritual Purpose: rite of passage from girls to become women and into the Sande society Theme: performance art Other Works: Presentation of Fijian mats; The Crossing by Viola; Plague of Ergastines
Title, date, form, culture, medium, materials, content, technique, practicality, original context, changes, purpose, theme, other works Title: Ikenga “strong right hand” (shrine figure) Date: c19th -20th century Form: ram’s horns, may hold sword in right hand Culture: Igbo Medium: wood Materials: the specific wood is hard to carve which symbolizes strength Content: honors right hand which holds tools or weapons, makes sacrifices, conducts rituals, and alerts to speak at public forums; personal god of achievement and success, horns: power; as man achieves more success he might commission a more elaborate version or more; it is maintained in the man’n home; destroyed when the owner dies; another can reuse it if not destroyed Tradition: masculine associations of strength and potency Performance: requires blessings before use; consecrated with offerings before kinsmen Practicality: oil for protection Original Context: Nigeria Purpose: to tell of the owner’s morality, prosperity, achievements, genealogy, social rank Theme: sculpture in the round Other Works: Queen Hatshepsut with Offering jars, The Bur
Title, date, form, culture, medium, materials, content, performance, technique, practicality, original context, purpose, theme, other works Title: Lukasa (Memory Board) Date: c19th-20th century Form: many beads in various patterns on wood Culture: Luba Materials: woods, beads, and metal Content: ability to read is limited to a few people; Mbudye Society: a council of men and women who interpret the political and historical aspects of society and Diviners: fortune tellers Performance: reader holds lukasa in left hand and traces the designs ith the right index finger Technique: Practicality: each beads symbolize elements in a story Original Context: Democratic Republic of Congo Purpose: helps the user remember key elements in a story(court ceremonies, migrations, heros, kinship, genealogy, lists of kings) Theme: Story Telling Other Works: Bayeuux Tapestry, Column of Trajan
Title, date, form, culture, medium, materials, content, technique, practicality, original context, changes, purpose, theme, other works Title: Aka Elephant Mask Date: c19th - 20th century Form: human face Culture: Bamileke: Kuosi Society Materials: wood, woven raffia, cloth, and beads Content: only important people could own and wear it; used in royal court, worn on important ceremony occasions; beadwork: power; elephant: strength and power; fits over head and two folds hang in front and behind body; maskers dance barefoot to a drum and gong and wave spears and horsetail Original Context: Cameroon Purpose: performance ritual Theme: Spiritual World, Performance Art Other Works: Ecstasy of Saint Teresa by Bernini, Staff God; Queen Hatshepsut with Offering Jars; Presentation of Fijian mats; The Crossing by Viola; Plague of Ergastines
Title, date, form, culture, materials, content, performance, original context, purpose, theme, other works Title: Nlo Bieri (reliquary guardian figure) Date: c19th - 20th century Form: long body, small, baby-like, but adult, muscular arms and legs, closed eyes, prominent navel, genitals, and head, sitting down, stylized geometric; prayerful gesture and somber look Culture: Fang: likes opposites of balance Performance: figures placed on wooden boxes that hold bones of important clan leaders Materials: wood and oil to add luster and protect against insects Content: get dangling over the rim in a gesture protecting the contents; composed of characteristics the Fang people highly valued: tranquility, introspection, vitality; prominent navel and genitals: life; prayerful gesture and somber look: death Will Influence: abstraction of human body an attraction for the early 20th century artists Original Context: Cameroon Purpose: guards the head box against the gaze of women or young boys Theme: male figure Other Works: Apollo from Veii, David by Donatello, Nio guardian figure Title, date, form, culture, materials, content, performance, original context, purpose, theme, other works
Title, Artist, date, form, culture, materials, content, original context, changes, theme, other works Title: Veranda post of enthroned king and senior wife(Opo Ogoga) Artist: Olowe of Ise: carved posts for the rulers of the Ekiti-Yoruba kingdom in Nigeria Date: 1910-1914 Form: king is focal pint in relationship between his figure and other represented on this post Culture: Yoruba Materials: wood and pigment Content: one of four carved for the palace at Ikere; negative space creates an openness in the composition; behind him his large-scale senior wife supporting the throne; she crown the king during the coronation; protects him during his reign; small figures, junior wife, flute Esu, the trickster god; a now missing fan bearer Tradition: most veranda posts were painted Original Context: Nigeria Changes: traces of paint remain Theme: multi-figure sculptures Other Works: Horses and Dionysos by Helios The Burghers of Calais by Rodin, Menkaura and His Queen
Show full summary Hide full summary

Similar

Renaissance Art in Italy (pt.1)
macorleto
Medieval Art and Architecture
macorleto
Asian Art
macorleto
Art styles
Sarah Egan
Art & Design in Context
Chloe Scott
ART NOUVEAU
Britknee52
Art and Artists of the Renaissance
Joey Fenick
Exam 2- High Renaissance/Baroque
Rachel Masingill
The Art of Cubism
darneshdadgostar
Philosophy of Art
mccurryby
How has Surrealism Photography Changed and Developed?
molly-jones17