African Art Essay

400 Words2 Pages
Definition: African art constitutes one of the most diverse legacies on earth. Though many casual observers tend to generalize "traditional" African art, the continent is full of people, societies, and civilizations, each with a unique visual special culture. The definition also includes the art of theAfrican Diasporas, such as the art of African Americans. Despite this diversity, there are some unifying artistic themes when considering the totality of the visual culture from the continent of Africa. Nigerian art comprises of ivory carving, grass weaving, wood carving, leather and calabash. Pottery, painting, cloth weaving and glass and metal works are other important forms of Nigerian art. Nigeria as a country has got great diversity. These are the traditional arts and they are practiced still. However in the present days, art not only includes sculptures, paintings and masks, but a lot more. As a matter of fact, the Nigerian Art has maintained its heritage. Nigerian people have also explored their abilities in visual art, which has always remained a part of Nigeria's cultural tradition. Traditional as well as contemporary forms of visual art were practiced in Nigeria. Visual art is based on aesthetic objects, which can be either static, dynamic, temporary or even permanent and is best appreciated visually. Nigerian art is indeed versatile as it incorporates lots of varieties and types of art. History: The origins of African art lie long before recorded history. African rock art in the Sahara in Niger preserves 6000-year-old carvings.[6] The earliest known sculptures are from the Nok culture of Nigeria, made around 500 BC. Along with sub-Saharan Africa, the cultural arts of the western tribes, ancient Egyptian paintings and artifacts, and indigenous southern crafts also contributed greatly to African art. Often depicting the abundance of surrounding nature,
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