Non-Western Art Blog

As I was researching about the Non-western Era, I found out that there are many countries that are included in the non-western era, part of Africa being one of them. So for this blog I decided to focus on African art. I have always found the African art so intriguing. Each detail put into the pieces are so intricate and bring important details to the story behind the piece. These details always grab my attention. I love how the different cultures around the world have a unique way to tell their stories. African art is so interesting because they use unique materials and patterns to share their culture. I also read that they used art as a way to express their religious beliefs (PACE High School, 2019). I think art from Africa is so unique in its own way. Not only does it tell its own story, but I think it’s also special in the way that only the people immersed in that culture truly understand the stories of the art pieces. 

This first piece caught my attention because of how each detail stuck out. To me, the piece is stating that these two people worked together to hold up the object on their heads. The material used for this piece also caught my attention. This piece is made of wood, which is so fascinating with the details they were able to put into it. This piece is so simple, but it can give the audience a chance to depict what they believe the message behind this piece is. While I was researching more on this piece, I found that this sculpture is about 17.5 cm in height and 17.2 cm in length. I thought that was really interesting to read, I like learning about the dimensions of sculptures because then it gives me an idea of the size of this sculpture. 

Artist; Master of the Cascade Coiffure

Democratic Republic of Congo

I couldn’t find a specific date but learned it was created during the 19th century

This next piece is a similar form of art as the last one, and made my the same artist, but I really enjoyed how these sculptures are made. This piece is so interesting because it has so much detail. The part of the piece that stuck out to me was the unique beads around the woman’s neck. The beads add a meaning to the piece and I think it’s also a way to show respect or royalty. The beads make this beads stand out from the other pieces similar to this one. This piece is created in such a way that it creates peace and tranquility. This sculpture shows the culture of the people in Africa and also the materials that are important to them. 

Artist; Master of the Cascade Coiffure

Democratic Republic of Congo

Created in the 19th century

I thought that this piece was very interesting. This piece is called the Raffia-fibre Cloth. I liked how the artist kept the colors simple. I thought it was neat that the fabric/material has different lengths on each strand, I was wondering if that was for a certain reason or just what the artist decided to do? I also really enjoyed the intricate detail on each strand. The different lines and shapes add a lot of meaning to this piece. I think it has important cultural symbols. Another part of this piece that stuck out to me was that the artist chose to close off one end of the fabric and allowed the other side to continue, as though it was a message to the audience. 

Artist; Kuba

Democratic of the Congo

Made during the mid 20th century

This piece stuck out to me because of all the different materials used in this sculpture. While I was reading about this piece I learned that the materials in this piece consistent of; wood, horns, fibre, feathers and many more materials (Wiilet, 2018). I like how the different materials in this piece show that this figure is significant to the African culture, due to all the objects on this sculpture. In this piece, I like how each of the materials are different but bring the whole sculpture together as a whole. All the different materials used in this piece are placed on this piece in such a way that it makes the audience look at every angle. While reading about this piece, I learned that it was created by the Senufo people (Willet, 2018). Another part of this piece that stuck out to me when I first looked at this picture was that it seemed to be an important piece to the non-western culture expressed through their art. Religion and worshiping was and still is very important people to their culture. This piece shows respect and allows the ancestors to have a tribute. In the article I read, I found out that “kpelie masks” , like this one, are presented during a funeral to help the person transition to the “Ancestral Realm” (Hess, 2018). I thought that this mask showed a great example of how the African culture portrays their beliefs and respects. 

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Artist; I couldn’t find the exact artist, but I got this picture from the Encyclopedia Britannica

Cote d’Ivoire, Africa

Created in the 19th and 20th century

Literature Cited

1. Wiedenhoeft, Ronald. “Headrest.” Scholar Resources, 2019, https://www.scholarsresource.com/browse/work/530625855.
2. “5 Minutes with… A Carved-Wood Headrest by the Master of the Cascade Coiffure: Christie’s.” Luba-Shankadi Headrest by the Master of the Cascade Coiffure | Christie’s, Christies, 9 Dec. 2016, https://www.christies.com/features/Luba-Shankadi-Headrest-7962-1.aspx.
3. “Headrest; Female Caryatid Figure.” The Met, 2019, https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/314378.
4. Willett, Frank, et al. “African Art.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 13 Dec. 2018, https://www.britannica.com/art/African-art.
5. Hess, Janet B., and Margret A. Carey. “Senufo.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 13 Dec. 2018, https://www.britannica.com/art/African-art/Senufo.
6. Hess, Janet B., and Peggy Wagner. “African Art.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 13 Dec. 2018, https://www.britannica.com/art/African-art/Igbo.