African replicas of these objects became so popular during this time that they would even replace some Greco-Roman antiquities that adorned the studios of some academic artists. Countless original masks and sculptures were widely smuggled and sold among Western societies. Please check your inbox to activate your subscription Thank you!Īfter colonial expeditions, some of the most precious and sacred objects of Africa were brought to Europe. In effect, African art favors abstract shapes over realistic forms, to the extent that even most of its three-dimensional sculptures, would portray a two-dimensional appearance.īritish soldiers with looted artifacts from Benin, 1897, via The British Museum, London Instead of showing a figure from a single perspective, African carvers combined several features of the subject so that they could be simultaneously seen. The malleability of these materials allowed for sharp cuts and expressive incisions that resulted in brusque linear carvings and faceted sculptures in-the-round. PABLO PICASSO CUBISM FULLThe impact of African art’s intense expression, structural clarity, and simplified forms inspired these artists to create fragmented geometrical compositions full of overlapping planes.Īfrican artists often implemented wood, ivory, and metal to create traditional masks, sculptures, and plaques. The pioneers of this new approach were Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque, who were highly influenced by their first encounters with African masks and Paul Cézanne ’s systematic paintings. However, all of these formal characteristics have also been attributed to artworks of the Cubism movement. African Art Carvers: The First Cubists Bust of a Woman by Pablo Picasso, 1932, via MoMA, New York (left) with Pablo Picasso with a Cigarette, Cannes by Lucien Clergue, 1956, via Indianapolis Museum of Art (center) and Lwalwa Mask, Democratic Republic of Congo, via Sotheby’s (right)Īfrican art has often been described as abstract, exaggerated, dramatic and stylized.
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