The 20th and 21st centuries have given rise to many new forms of art, and one of the most intriguing is international art. International art is made by people of indigenous cultures and that is inspired by traditional themes and styles, but uses European media and methods for making the art. Four paintings in this group, for example, are made by an artist inspired by Zulu … [Read more...] about African and African Diaspora International Art: Researched by Hannah Robinson
The Maasai and the Ndebele are African cultures living in the modern-day countries of Kenya, Tanzania, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and South Africa. While many continue to practice traditional ways of life, they are aware of the outside world. Today both of these cultures produce their traditional art, especially beadwork, both for their own cultural purposes as well as to sell in … [Read more...] about Maasai and Ndebele Art: Researched by Ngozi Ekeke
The kifwebe mask (plural bifwebe) is made by both the Luba and the Songye cultures of Central Africa. Interestingly, the Luba claim that this was originally a Songye mask, while the Songye claim that the Luba were the first to create the kifwebe mask. Some scholars believe that these cultures each defer to the other in order to create an allure of strangeness for the … [Read more...] about Kifwebe Mask: Researched and Reproduced by Tyler White
As in most cultures, in African cultures, symbols of status are used to make distinctions among classes or other groups of people. The owners of status objects are recognized as powerful, wealthy, or high-ranking. In Africa, high-status individuals include people with hereditary power such as royalty; spiritual leaders; high-ranking military or civic leaders; prosperous … [Read more...] about African Status Symbols: Researched by Emily McClain and Zoë Pixler
While African masks and large-scale sculptures are highly celebrated, the small figures produced by African cultures are much less well-known. These sculptures generally take human form, but they are made of diverse media, including carved wood, assemblages of resin, cloth, and found materials, and even soft sculptures of sewn, stuffed cloth. They range from relatively … [Read more...] about African Figures: Researched by Rebecca Warden