Synopses & Reviews
Over the centuries, artists across sub-Saharan Africa have memorialized eminent figures in their societies using an astonishingly diverse repertoire of naturalistic and abstract sculptural idioms. Adopting complex aesthetic fromulations, they idealized their subjects but also added specific detailsand#8212;such as emblems of rank, scarification patterns, and elaborate coiffuresand#8212;in order to evoke the individuals represented. Imbued with the essence of their formidable subjects, these works played an essential role in reifying ties with important ancestors at critical moments of transition. Often their transfer from one generation to the next was a prerequisite for conferring legitimacy upon the leaders who followed. The arrival of Europeans as traders, then as colonizers, led to the dislocation of many of these sculptures from their original sites, as well as from the contexts in which they were conceived; thus, today, they are seen primarily as timeless representations of generic archetypes.
Heroic Africans reexaminesand#160;the sculpturesand#160;in terms of the individuals who inspired them and the cultural values that informed them, providing insight into the hidden meaning and inspiration behind these great artistic achievements.and#160;
Author Alisa LaGammaand#160;considers the landmark sculptural traditions of the kingdoms of Ife and Benin, both in Nigeria; Ghana and Cand#244;te d'Ivoire's Akan chiefdoms; the Bangwa and Kom chiefdoms of the Cameroon Grassfields; the Chokwe cheifdoms of Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (D.R.C.); and the D.R.C's Luluwa, Kuba, and Hemba chiefdoms. More than 140 masterpieces created between the 12th and the early 20th centuryand#8212;complemented by maps, drawings, and excavation and ceremonial photographsand#8212;reveal the religious and aesthetic conventions that defined distinct regional genres.
Review
Winner of the Prix International du Livre d'Art Tribaland#160;English edition of 2012.
Synopsis
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Many masterpieces of central African sculpture were created to amplify the power of sacred relics that affirm a familys vital connection to its ancestral heritage. This important volume, focusing on some 130 works representing a diverse variety of regional genres, illuminates the purpose and significance of these icons of African art, which first came to prominence because of their appeal to the Western avant-garde. While providing an overview of sources ranging from colonial explorers, missionaries, critics, artists, and art historians, the book breaks new ground in its examination of the complex aesthetic and spiritual dimensions of the reliquaries. Its interdisciplinary approach brings together the perspectives of scholars in African and medieval art history along with those in African history, religion, and ethnography. '
Synopsis
This informative and beautiful volume sheds light on the enduring significance of textiles as a major form of aesthetic expression across Africa, relating long-standing cultural practices to recent creative developments. Some of the finest and oldest preserved examples of West African textile traditions are presented, and both their artistic and technical qualities are examined. Wrapped around the body, fashioned into garments, or displayed as hangings, these magnificent textiles include bold strip weavings and intricately patterned indigo resist-dyed cloths.
The influence of African textiles on contemporary artists is also explored, featuring artworks by eight individuals who work in media as far-ranging as sculpture, painting, photography, video, and installation art. A monumental metal tapestry by the Ghanaian El Anatsui that pays tribute to traditional kente prestige cloth while constituting an inventive new genre is discussed in detail.
Synopsis
Challenging conventional understanding of key masterpieces of African sculpture, this important book acknowledges the eminent figures who inspired the works and the cultural values that informed them
Synopsis
Over the centuries, artists across sub-Saharan Africa have memorialized eminent figures in their societies using an astonishingly diverse repertoire of naturalistic and abstract sculptural idioms. The arrival of Europeans as traders, then as colonizers, led to the isolation of many of these sculptures from their original sites, as well as from the contexts in which they were conceived; thus, today, they are seen primarily as timeless representations of generic archetypes. This extensively illustrated publication reexamines major landmarks of African art in terms of the individuals who inspired them and the cultural values that informed them, providing insight into the hidden meaning and inspiration behind these great artistic achievements.
Heroic Africans considers the landmark sculptural traditions of the Kingdom of Benin and the Ife civilization in Nigeria; the Akan peoples of Ghana; the Bangwa, Kom, and related chiefdoms of the Cameroon Grassfields; the Chokwe of Angola and Zambia; and the Luluwa, Hemba, and Kuba of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Some 106 masterpieces created between the 12th and the early 20th century—complemented by maps, drawings, and excavation and documentary photographs—reveal the religious and aesthetic conventions that defined distinct regional genres of representation.
About the Author
Alisa LaGamma is Curator, Arts of Africa, Oceania, and the Americas, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.