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Mary Lee Brady, Ph. D.
| Many of the so-called traditional arts of Africa are still being commissioned, carved, and used in active traditional contexts. As in all art periods, important innovations as well as significant retentions of established styles and modes of expression coexist. In recent years, with the changes in transportation and mass communications within the continent, a number of art forms have been disseminated widely among diverse African cultures. Today, for example, some Nigerian-style masks are being used in Ghanaian and other coastal centers on the eastern Guinea Coast.
In addition to distinctly African influences, a number of changes also have originated from the outside. For example, Islamic architecture and design motifs can be seen in many of the arts of the northern regions of Nigeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger. East Indian print motifs have similarly found their way into sculptures and masks of the Ibibio and Efik artists living along the southern coast of Nigeria. Christian themes have also been taken up by some contemporary artists in their designs for panels, doors, and baptismal fonts for Africa's Christian churches and cathedrals. In recent years artists have also found important sources of patronage for various art forms in the banks, commercial establishments, government offices, and courts of the new nations. Tourists have been responsible for still other art demands, particularly for decorative masks and ornamental African sculptures made of ebony or ivory. The development of schools of art and architecture in sub-Saharan African cities has pushed artists to work in new mediums such as cement, oil and other paints, ink, stone, aluminum, and a variety of graphic modes. The images and designs they have created reflect a vibrant union of African and contemporary Western traditions. Artists such as Twins Seven Seven and Ashira Olatunde of Nigeria and Nicholas Mukomberanwa of Zimbabwe are among the most successful practitioners of these novel creative forms. See also Africa; African Literature; African Music; Mask. See also entries on individual kingdoms, nations, regions, and tribes. |
Copyright © 2010 Brady Enterprise Association, Inc. Last modified: 05/12/10 |
