History Of African Art

African art is the creation of the people in theNigeria is well known for the terracotta statuettes
South of the Sahara. Art is an integral part of thefound in the Nok culture era of the 5th century
everyday life of Africans. It is used for dialogue,B.C. These statuettes are mainly human figures
personal therapy and to communicate with themade in terracotta. The history of African art is a
gods and ancestors. The history of African art iscontribution by the various tribes, which presented
very rich, with an enormous collection of artthe art different forms and styles. These tribes
forms. African art originated way back in 500 B.C.,are known even today for their contribution. The
in a village of Nigeria. The African sculpture wassmall tribes of the Cameroon grasslands are
first unearthed along with exclusive pottery in thepopular for their bold and expressive
village. The ancient African art forms are mainlywoodcarvings that include large house posts,
masks and figures, used in religious ceremonies.masks and objects used in rituals. All African
The material used for most of these African Artcultures use decorative textiles and tools.
forms was wood. The wood was decorated withThe history of African art has had a huge
clay, shells, ivory, beads, metal and feathers.influence on western artists. They recognized the
Western and Central Africa are considered theintrinsic and aesthetic value of African sculpture.
richest regions in indigenous art. They are knownThe enduring qualities of African art came to light
for different styles of art forms of the Africanin the 20th century and since then, it has been a
culture. The western Sudan and Guinea coast issource of inspiration for many western artists.
famous for its abstract wood- carvings.