AFRICAN ART 2

African Art consists mainly of traditional sculptures of wood, clay craft, terra-cotta, stone, bronze, wrought iron, masks, used for social, economic and religious life of the people. It also exhibits indegineous music, dance, masqurades and traditional folklores.

Africans create their art primarily as an avenue through which they make contact with the supernatural. It is an expression of their religion. Not art for art sake. They believe that the supernatural force is something tangible; For this reason, they create sculptures which serve as a medium of giving them access to the supernatural/spirit world. The ancestral figures, fetish items, masks and other cult objects are all poducts of this desire to commune with the Spirit world. Wood is the best-known medium used in African sculptures;especially in creating ancestral figures,masks and some fetish items and cult objects.

Wood sculptures are carved with similar implements throughout the continent. An axe which is usually used to fell the tree after the wood carver must have performed purifying sacrifices to appease the gods and the spirit that is believed to reside in the tree.

The adze a tool with its's cutting edge at rigth angle to it's hahdle, is used to do greater part of forming the sculpture. The speed and skill achieved with the adze will baffle a foreign observer. Intricate and delicate forms are created with different shapes and sizes of knives.

The works are finished by sanding with rough barks/leaves, stones, charring, staining with earth colours, soot, leaves, before oiling. In modern times enamel paints are used, other modern tools such as chisels, wood rasp, sand papers etc are now used.