History of Art in Africa

by Vison, Monica Blackmun (Author)

• ISBN13: 9780131833562
• ISBN10: 0131833561
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-01-01
• Publisher: PENGUIN

Summary

Informed by the latest scholarship yet written for the general reader, this is the first comprehensive book to present the arts of Africa in art-historical terms. The authors treat individual pieces as tangible manifestations of changing beliefs and customs, as products of complex cultural interactions, as expressions of historical and economic realities, and as creations of gifted individuals, and in so doing brilliantly offer up African art on its own terms. Organized in five major parts, A History of Art in Africa covers every corner of the continent, including Egypt, from prehistory to the present day and includes the art of the African diaspora. The Islamic influence and the Christian arts of Ethiopia and Nubia are treated as fully African expressions, as are tourist arts and the fascinating hybrid art that periodically arose from interaction with Europe. All art forms are given equal consideration: from such familiar categories as sculpture to such quintessentially African forms as masquerades, festivals, and personal and domestic adornment. The arts of daily life, of royal ceremony, and of state cosmology also receive compelling discussions. And throughout, the authors emphasize the cultural contexts in which art is produced and imbued with meaning. Contemporary art forms are explored both as part of the living splendors of modern Africa and as ingenious responses to the experience of diaspora. The illustrations present a vast and rich range of images, including superb colorplates of artworks, archival and contemporary field photographs, explanatory drawings and plans, and individual objects displayed in museums and in use. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Monica Blackmun Visona is associate professor in the Department of Art at Metropolitan State College of Denver. She has traveled widely throughout Africa, lived in Malawi and Morocco, and done extensive field work in the Cote d'Ivoire. Her many articles have examined the arts of the people of the Ivory Coast and explored the larger issues of contemporary African art Robin Poynor is associate professor in the Department of Art at the University of Florida. A regular contributor to African Arts, he has lectured widely and served as consultant and guest curator for numerous exhibits of African art in American museums Herbert M. Cole is a world authority on African art and the recipient of numerous fellowships. He is professor of art history at the University of California, Santa Barbara Michael D. Harris, whose specialty is Yoruba art and the art of the African diaspora in the United States, is a painter and assistant professor of art history in the Department of Art at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill Rowland Abiodun is professor of fine arts and black studies at Amherst College Suzanne Preston Blier is a professor of African art in the departments of fine arts and Afro-American studies at Harvard University

Table of Contents

Preface	p. 10
Africa, Art, and History: An Introduction	p. 14
From the Nile to the Niger	p. 24
The Sahara and the Maghreb	p. 26
Central Saharan Rock Art	p. 27
Large Wild Fauna Style	p. 27
Archaic Style	p. 28
Pastoralist Style	p. 29
Later Styles and Subjects	p. 30
The Maghreb and the Ancient Mediterranean World	p. 30
Carthage	p. 31
Numidia and Mauritania	p. 32
Rome	p. 32
The Coming of Islam	p. 33
The Great Mosque of Qairouan	p. 33
The Qarawiyyan Mosque	p. 34
Regional Berber Arts	p. 37
Architecture and Household Arts in the Northern Mountains	p. 37
Architecture and Household Arts in the Sahara	p. 40
Personal Arts of the Shleuh and Mareg	p. 42
Contemporary Art of North Africa	p. 46
Aspects of African Culture: Personal Adornment	p. 44
Lands of the Nile: Egypt, Nubia, and Ethiopia	p. 48
Early Nile Cultures	p. 49
Kemet	p. 52
Old Kingdom and Middle Kingdom	p. 52
New Kingdom	p. 56
Kush	p. 60
Axum and Its Time	p. 64
Egypt in the Sphere of Greece, Rome, and Byzantium	p. 64
Palaces and Tombs of Axum	p. 66
Ballana	p. 66
Early Christian Arts of Nubia and Ethiopia	p. 67
Faras	p. 68
Lalibela	p. 68
Early Solomonic Period	p. 70
Islamic Art of Egypt	p. 71
Later Christian Art of Ethiopia	p. 72
Lower Nubia Before the Aswan Dam	p. 74
Contemporary Artists of Sudan and Ethiopia	p. 76
The Central Sudan	p. 78
Ancient Art in Fired Clay	p. 79
Nok	p. 79
Bura	p. 80
Sao	p. 81
Living Arts of Small Communities	p. 82
The Dakakari and the Nigerian Plateau	p. 82
The Ga'anda and the Gongola River	p. 83
Musgum and the Logone River	p. 86
The Jukun of the Middle Benue River	p. 88
The Chamba of the Nigeria/Cameroon Borderlands	p. 88
The Mumuye of the Upper Benue River	p. 91
The Mambila of the Nigeria/Cameroon Borderlands	p. 92
The Imperial Arts of the Kanuri and Hausa	p. 94
Hausa Mosques and Civic Architecture	p. 95
Art, Literacy, and Mystic Faith	p. 99
The Fulani	p. 100
The Futa Djallon	p. 100
The Inland Niger Delta	p. 101
Southern Niger	p. 103
Northeastern Nigeria and the Adamawa	p. 105
Mande Worlds and the Upper Niger	p. 106
In the Sphere of Ancient Empires	p. 107
Wagadu	p. 107
Mali and the Inland Niger Delta	p. 109
The Architectural Legacy of Jenne	p. 110
Takrur and Jolof	p. 113
Recent Mande Arts: Nyamakalaw and Their Work	p. 113
Gwan and Jo	p. 114
Ntomo and Tyi Wara	p. 116
Bogolanfini	p. 119
Komo and Kono	p. 121
Kore, Secular Masquerades, and Puppetry	p. 122
Arts of the Home	p. 124
Art for the International Market	p. 126
The Western Sudan	p. 130
The Tellem	p. 131
The Dogon	p. 132
Sculpture	p. 133
Architecture	p. 137
Masks and Masquerades	p. 140
The Senufo	p. 144
Poro	p. 145
Sandogo	p. 147
Masks and Masquerades	p. 149
Places of Assembly and Celebration	p. 152
Tourist Arts	p. 153
Related Peoples of Burkina Faso	p. 155
Lobi Sculpture and Metalwork	p. 155
Bwa Masquerades	p. 158
Mossi Sculpture and Masking	p. 161
Nankani Architecture	p. 162
Western Africa	p. 166
West Atlantic Forests	p. 168
Early Arts	p. 169
Stone Figures	p. 169
Export Ivories	p. 171
Masking and Related Arts	p. 173
Initiations of the Jola, the Bidjogo, and Their Neighbors	p. 173
Performed Art of the Baga and Their Neighbors	p. 176
Women's and Men's Societies: Sande/Bondo and Poro	p. 180
Masks and Sacred Authority: The Dan and Their Neighbors	p. 184
Women's Arts Among the Dan and the We	p. 187
Masquerades of the Guro	p. 189
Cross-Currents and Hybrid Forms	p. 191
American-African Architecture	p. 191
Festival Arts	p. 191
Contemporary International Art	p. 192
Akan Worlds	p. 194
The Visual-Verbal Nexus	p. 195
Regalia and Arts of Statecraft	p. 196
Regalia in Ghana	p. 197
Stools and Chairs	p. 198
State Swords	p. 199
Linguist Staffs	p. 200
Baule and Lagoons Regalia	p. 201
Metal Arts: The Culture of Gold	p. 203
Textiles	p. 206
Terracotta Funerary Sculpture	p. 208
Wood Sculpture and Shrines	p. 210
Akua Ma	p. 211
Asante Carvings and Shrines	p. 211
Baule and Lagoons Carvings and Shrines	p. 213
Secular Carvings	p. 215
Royal Festivals in Ghana	p. 216
Baule Masks and Masquerades	p. 218
Goli	p. 218
Bonu Amwin and Do	p. 219
Age-Grade Arts of Lagoons Peoples	p. 220
Arts of Fante Military Companies	p. 221
Lives Well Lived: Contemporary Funerary Arts	p. 225
International Art	p. 226
Aspects of African Culture: Art and Leadership	p. 196
The Yoruba and the Fon	p. 228
Early Ife	p. 229
Archaic and Pre-Pavement Periods	p. 229
Pavement Period	p. 230
Early Owo	p. 236
Esie	p. 238
Recent Yoruba Art	p. 239
Royal Arts	p. 239
The Ogboni Society	p. 243
Art and the Spirit World	p. 245
Orunmila and Eshu	p. 246
Ogun, Osanyin, and Eyinle	p. 251
Shango and Ibeji	p. 252
Masks and Masquerades	p. 255
Dahomey	p. 259
Royal Arts	p. 260
Art and the Spirit World	p. 263
Modern Arts	p. 266
Brazilian Architecture	p. 266
Movements in Oshogbo	p. 268
The Ono Group	p. 272
Aspects of African Culture: Lost-Wax Casting	p. 234
The Lower Niger	p. 274
Igbo Ukwu	p. 274
Recent and Contemporary Igbo Arts	p. 278
Title Arts	p. 279
Shrines and Shrine Figures	p. 282
Mbari	p. 285
Ugonachonma	p. 289
Masks and Masquerades	p. 290
Shared Themes in Lower Niger Arts	p. 296
Personal Altars	p. 296
Light/Dark Masking: Beauties and Beasts	p. 298
Hierarchical Compositions	p. 302
Ibibio Memorial Arts	p. 303
Oron Ancestral Figures	p. 305
Kalabari Ijaw Festivals and Memorial Arts	p. 306
Benin: Six Centuries of Royal Arts	p. 310
Art, Ideology, and the Benin World	p. 311
Plaques	p. 316
Royal Altars	p. 318
Portuguese Presence in Benin Arts	p. 323
Masks and Masquerades	p. 325
Mamy Wata	p. 326
Aspects of African Culture: Shrines and Altars	p. 283
Central Africa	p. 328
Cross River, Cameroon Grasslands, and Gabon	p. 330
Cross River	p. 331
Early Arts	p. 331
Recent Arts of Secret Societies	p. 333
Cameroon Grasslands	p. 338
Palace Architecture	p. 339
Arts of the Royal Treasuries	p. 342
Royal Spectacle and Masquerade Arts	p. 349
Maritime Arts: The Duala	p. 352
Gabon	p. 355
Reliquary Figures	p. 355
Masks and Masquerades	p. 360
Contemporary International Arts	p. 364
Aspects of African Culture: Masquerades	p. 336
The Western Congo Basin	p. 366
Early Art	p. 367
The Kongo Kingdom	p. 367
Early Leadership Arts	p. 367
Religious Arts: Christianity and After	p. 369
Funerary and Memorial Arts	p. 371
Minkisi	p. 376
The Teke	p. 378
In the Sphere of the Lunda Empire	p. 379
Chokwe Leadership and Initiation Arts	p. 380
The Yaka and the Suku	p. 385
The Pende	p. 391
The Salampasu	p. 394
The Kuba	p. 396
Leadership Arts	p. 397
Ndop	p. 397
Architecture	p. 398
Prestige Objects	p. 399
Textile Arts	p. 400
Masks and Masquerades	p. 402
In the Shadow of the Kuba: The Ndengese, the Binji, and the Wongo	p. 405
The Lulua	p. 406
Contemporary Urban and International Art	p. 408
The Eastern Congo Basin	p. 412
Early Art from the Upemba Depression	p. 412
In the Sphere of the Luba Empire	p. 413
The Luba Heartland	p. 414
The Hemba	p. 419
The Tabwa	p. 420
The Songye	p. 422
Societies of the Lega, the Bembe, the Mbole, and the Azande	p. 423
Bwami	p. 424
Elanda and 'Alunga	p. 426
Lilwa	p. 427
Mani	p. 428
Court Art of the Azande and the Mangbetu	p. 429
The Mbuti	p. 434
Contemporary Arts	p. 435
Aspects of African Culture: Rites of Passage	p. 424
Eastern and Southern Africa	p. 438
Eastern Africa	p. 440
The Swahili Coast	p. 441
Islamic Arts	p. 441
Arts of Leadership	p. 444
Domestic Architecture	p. 445
Other Coastal Bantu Cultures	p. 448
Prestige Arts of the Interlacustrine Region	p. 453
The Nyamwezi	p. 453
Royal Treasuries	p. 454
Ceramics and Basketry	p. 455
Masquerades and Other Arts of the Maravi, the Makonde, the Makua, and the Yao	p. 456
Nyau	p. 456
Lipiko	p. 459
Sculpture	p. 460
Export Art	p. 460
Madagascar	p. 461
Memorial Arts	p. 462
Cushitic and Nilo-Saharan Speakers of the Interior	p. 464
Memorial Figures and Stone Tombs	p. 464
Personal Arts	p. 466
Contemporary Artists of Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya	p. 469
Aspects of African Culture: Cycles and Circles	p. 458
Southern Africa	p. 472
Rock Art of Southern and Eastern Africa	p. 473
Earliest Images	p. 473
Zimbabwe	p. 475
Tanzania and Eastern Africa	p. 476
The Drakensberg Mountains	p. 476
Early Art of Bantu Speakers	p. 478
The Shona and Great Zimbabwe	p. 479
Recent Art of the Shona and Their Neighbors	p. 483
Art and Ancestors	p. 483
Initiations and Related Art	p. 484
Arts of the Sotho and the Nguni	p. 487
Art and Leadership Among the Sotho and the Tswana	p. 488
Nguni Beadwork	p. 488
Nguni Arts of Daily Life	p. 490
Architecture	p. 492
Art and Contemporary Issues	p. 494
International Art	p. 494
Art Under Apartheid	p. 495
The Diaspora	p. 498
Art of the African Diaspora	p. 500
Art in Slave and Folk Settings	p. 501
Speaking Through New Forms	p. 504
Reclaiming Africa	p. 508
Image and Idea	p. 508
Getting Behind the Mask: TransAtlantic Dialogues	p. 514
African Heritage in Popular and Ritual Arts	p. 519
Five Contemporary Artists	p. 524
Glossary	p. 528
Annotated Bibliography	p. 529
Picture Credits	p. 537
Index	p. 540
Table of Contents provided by Rittenhouse. All Rights Reserved.