African art

• Neolithic architecture includes:

  • Menhir: a tall single stone
  • Dolmen: a large flat stone supported by two vertical stones
  • Keystone: a stone with a hole in the middle through which one looks for the next pointed stone
  • Megalith: monumental graves and altars made up of large groups of stones
• Cromlech is a circular stone construction made up of four concentric stone circles with one in the middle
• Tribal communities believe in the constant interaction between the spiritual world and the physical world of man and nature
• Tribal elders use rituals and ceremonies to discipline younger members according to tribal customs
• Ancestors play an important role in tribal communities and are worshiped in various ways
• Initiation of young boys in tribal communities involves secret bush camps where older men, often wearing masks, instruct the boys in tribal lineage histories, moral behavior, practical skills, and traditions
• Fertility in women and the earth is celebrated in festivals and through carved images, honoring women for bearing the next generation of the tribe
• World religions like Christianity and Islam have recently entered Africa
• The Benin civilization existed in the same region from about the 11th to the 16th century, coinciding with the Renaissance in Europe
• Civilizations around the Congo River in Central Africa have no clear dates concerning their existence
• In Southern Africa, civilizations developed near Zimbabwe from about the 11th century to the 16th century
• The Nok civilization near the Niger River is the oldest known civilization in Sub-Saharan Africa, dating back 2500 years from 500 BC to the 2nd century AD
• The Ife civilization in North Western Africa existed from about the 7th to the 11th centuries AD
• Rock art in Africa is tied to lifestyle and beliefs, not considered mere decorations
• Hunters in rock art respected their prey, sometimes transforming themselves partly into animals and using the blood of animals like the eland in their paint to bring power to their images
• Rock art found in shelters or overhangs, with some sites showing evidence of earlier inhabitants through stone tools and patterning in ochre
• Shamans in rock art would perform rituals and go into a trance to ensure a successful hunt, call for rain, or facilitate healing
• Rock art in Southern Africa shows similarities to the Lascaux caves in France, despite the artists having no contact with each other
• Rock paintings in Africa evolved from symbols, single figures, and animals in single color silhouettes to tonal paintings in various colors depicting activities like trance dances, rain-making rituals, and hunting
• Petroglyphs, or rock engravings, were created by drawing with a sharpened rock point onto a rock face
• Petroglyphs, or rock engravings, are created by drawing with a sharpened rock point onto a rock face
• Petroglyphs are older than paintings and are found in open plains rather than in shelters, usually depicting symbols or the outlines of animals
• Rock Art techniques include Petroglyphs (rock engravings) and Pictographs (rock paintings), with pigments mixed with blood, animal fat, and other natural liquids
• In Neolithic Architecture, monumental graves and altars were made of large stones known as megaliths, with the Post and Lintel construction method being the first developed in the world
• Stonehenge, a Neolithic circular stone construction in England, consists of four concentric circles of stone, a central altar, and displays order, symmetry, and harmony, thought to have been built for religious rituals
• The Paleolithic period features cave paintings of large wild animals like bison and horses, with drawings of humans being rare and usually schematic
• The Venus of Willendorf, a Paleolithic sculpture found in Austria, is a votive figure emphasizing parts of the body important to the birth process, with exaggerated stomach, thighs, and breasts, and a lack of facial features
• Historians divide human development into periods like the Stone Age, including the Paleolithic Period (40,000-10,000 BC) of nomads who engraved and painted on stone, bone, and ivory
• The Mesolithic Period (10,000-3500 BC) saw a simple community lifestyle with agriculture and domestication of animals, while the Neolithic Period (3500-1700 BC) featured villages near cultivated fields
• The Bronze Age (2000 BC) introduced bronze as a harder alloy, used for weapons and sculptures, and the Iron Age (700 BC) saw iron replacing bronze for weapons, tools, and decorations
• African art has its earliest expressions in aesthetic mark making and object making, with artifacts and sculptures serving religious or votive purposes