Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Figurative Sculpture
African sculpture is now considered one of the most dynamic and influential art forms
around. Once relegated to curio cabinets and dusty museum storerooms, and labelled as
crude, barbaric and primitive, African carving finally gained credibility in the early 20th
century when Picasso, Matisse and others found inspiration in its radical approach to the
human form.
Most West African sculpture is carved in wood, but superb bronze and iron figures are
also produced, while some funerary figures are created in terracotta and mud. The strange
and uncompromising forms found in West African sculpture are rarely the unique creations
of an inspired artist - the sculptures have always been made to fulfil specific functions, us-
ing centuries-old designs redolent with meaning.
In West Africa, sculpture is mostly used in connection with ancestor or spirit worship.
Many groups believe that the spirits of the dead can have a major impact, both positive and
negative, on a person's life. Ancestral figures are carved and placed in shrines and altars
where they receive libations and sacrificial blood. Some groups carve figures that are cared
for by women to ensure fertility and in the hope that the resulting child will inherit the fine
looks represented in the sculpture. The famous
akuaba
'doll' of the Ashanti is the best-
known example of this. Prestige objects are also carved, such as figurative staffs of office,
commemorative statues and other regalia used by kings, chiefs, traditional healers and di-
viners as emblems of power.
West African sculpture is usually created by a professional artist, who is almost always
male and who has learned his craft through an apprenticeship. It's mostly a family- or
caste-specific occupation, and the forms and skills are passed down from generation to gen-
eration, resulting in highly refined styles.
Across the many styles produced in West Africa, some common characteristics exist.
The figure is usually symmetrical and faces forward, the features are impassive and the
arms are held to the side with the legs slightly bent at the knees. Certain features may be
exaggerated, and the head is almost always large in proportion to the body.
The surface of the carving will often have tribal marks carved or burnt into the
blackened face and torso. Sometimes the carving is highly polished, or painted with ochre
or imported enamel paint.
Starbook,
by Ben Okri, is a stirring fictional fable that takes place among a mystical group of artists and ar-
tisans in West Africa in the lead-up to the colonial era.
