25-+Art+of+Africa+Modern+Era

**Vocab.**

 * Ere ibeji - Twin
 * Eshu - Yoruba god related to human conflict, sex and money.

[[image:colonial_africa_a4size.jpg width="693" height="882" align="right"]]

 * ==Before the 19th century, the most important outward influence on Africa was the spread of Islam ==
 * ==The Modern era begins with the European exploration during the 19th century.==
 * ==At this time Christian missionaries also flooded the continent.==
 * ==Towards the end of this century competition among rival European powers fueled the so-called scramble for Africa, during which England, France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain, and Portugal raced to lay claim to whatever part of the continent they could. By 1914 virtually all of Africa had fallen under colonial rule.==
 * ==In the years following World War I, nationalistic movements arose across African. From the mid 1950s through the mid 19702 one colony after another gained its independence, and the present day map of Africa took.==


 * ==Africans believe that ancestors never die and can be addressed. (Many sculptures are representations of family members and were carved to venerate their spirits)==
 * ==Fertility, both of the individual and of the land is very important.==


 * ==Spirits who inhabit the forests or are associated with natural phenomena have to be respected and worshipped.==
 * ==Sculptures of suckling mothers are extremely common; it implied that everyone suckles from the breast of God.==


 * ==Spirituality and ancestors dominate art.==
 * ==Artists preferred wood, but notable works are also done in ivory and metal.==
 * ==The art is rarely decorative, but made for a purpose, often for ceremonies.==
 * ==Architecture is predominantly made of mud-brick; stone is rare, but can be seen in Zimbabwe and in Ethiopian churches.==


 * ==Sirigu, Ghana 1972==
 * ==Men build the structures, women decorate them.==
 * ==Women live in round dwellings while men live in rectangular flat-roofed houses.==

[[image:514186018_c2e30ce558_z.jpg align="left"]]

 * ==Wood with pigment==
 * ==Yoruba Culture==
 * ==Classic theme of elongated breasts symbolizes fertility==
 * ==Asymmetrical composition combines narrative and symbolic scenes in horizontal rectangular panels.==


 * ==Ghana, Ashanti culture 1960s-70s==
 * ==Wood and gold==
 * ==Staff is a nearly universal symbol of authority and leadership==
 * ==Ashanti ruler held it during ceremonies and speeches.==


 * **Nigeria, Yoruba culture 20th century (Wood)**
 * **Highest rates of twin births in the world**
 * **When a Yoruba twin dies, the parents often consult a diviner, a specialist in ritual and spiritual practices, who may tell then that an imageof a twin, or ere ibeji, must be carved to serve as a dwelling place for the deceased twin's spirit.**


 * [[image:mendesandemask.jpg width="288" height="460" align="left"]]**Its glossy black surface, high forehead, elaborately plaited hairstyle decorated with combs, and refined facial features, the mask represents ideal female beauty. The mask is usually worn be a senior member of the women’s Sande society whose responsibility is to prepare Sande girls for their adult roles in society including marriage and child bearing.**


 * **Wood, plant fiber, pigmen**
 * **Worn at celebrations by the members of the two highest classes of the political system.**[[image:small.jpg width="216" height="259" align="right"]]
 * **Head is fashioned as an oval into which is carved a concave, heart shaped face with narrow, raised features.**
 * **They are too small to be put on the face so they are often held in the palm or strapped onto the thigh,**
 * Symbolizes continuity between the ancestors and the living community and are thought to be direct links to deceased relatives and past members of Bwami.

Video.
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Website.

http://www.africanart.org/ http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/aima/hd_aima.htm