Table of Contents
What are the principal medium of Ife art?
Sculpture. The artists of Ife developed a refined and highly naturalistic sculptural tradition in stone, terracotta, brass and copper and created a style unlike anything in Africa at the time. The technical sophistication of the casting process is matched by the artworks’ enduring beauty.
What is the style of Ife art?
The art-historical importance of Ife works lies in their highly developed and distinctive sculptural style, described alternately as naturalistic, portraitlike, and humanistic. The delicately rendered vertical facial striations that appear on many of the sculptures may represent scarification patterns.
What do the Ife heads represent?
The Bronze Head from Ife, or Ife Head, is one of eighteen copper alloy sculptures that were unearthed in 1938 at Ife in Nigeria, the religious and former royal centre of the Yoruba people. It is believed to represent a king.
What major materials were used by ancient Ife artists to make portrait heads select all that apply?
The Yoruba of Ife made fine artworks in stone and ceramics, but above all they are famous for their life-size representations of human heads. The heads were made using the lost-wax method, a seven-step casting process that uses molten metal.
Who excavated Ife artwork?
In 1910 the German anthropologist Leo Frobenius visited the Nigerian city of Ife and brought several ancient terracotta heads back to Germany. He claimed a Greek colony in Africa produced the incredibly naturalistic sculpture he discovered (Willett 1967: 14).
Why is Ife art called court?
THE early Benin art was referred to as “Court Art” hence ”Court Art of Benin” This is because the Oba or King of Benin had a monopoly of the art works, though technically speaking, they are all brass. It could therefore be logically deduced that the Benin people learnt the art of bronze casting from Ife.
What are the characteristics of Benin art?
Characteristics of Benin Art Beaded Neck. Mark on forehead. Semi naturalistic. It is the only art culture that has ivory. Mostly royal figures. Highly decorative.
What are the common artistic characteristics of NOK heads?
Perforated ears, mouths, triangular shaped eyes with pierced pupils are some of the typical stylistic features of the Nok heads. Distinctive hairstyles, the use of ornaments and jewels, variety of beauty in the design provides an enthralling record of body decoration and adornment in the Nok culture.
What is the relationship between Benin art and Ife art?
– human representation in Benin art is more of heads (commemorative) of Obas, while in Ife art, representation of heads are combined with the dominant full human figures. – Ife heads and figures have profuse scarification while Benin heads and masks have marks on their forehead.
What is Benin art culture?
Most of the ancient art of Benin is royal and honors the Oba, or king of the Benin Kingdom. The general aesthetic principles of Benin art, according to Kathryn Gunsch (2018), are triadic symmetry, frontality, alternation, and decoration in the round.
What are the characteristics of Igbo Ukwu art?
Its delicate beaded lines, concentric circles, quatrefoils, and handles and bosses imitating twisted wire are typical of the ornate Igbo Ukwu style. Several similar bowls were found, and all are highly ornamented on the outer surface but smooth inside.
What best describes the style of the Ife ruler portraits?
Thus, Ife style is lifelike but at the same time idealized. The artists portrayed most people as young adults in the prime of life and without any disfiguring warts or wrinkles. Some life-size heads, although still idealized, take naturalism so far as to give the impression of being individual portraits.
What are Dogon sculptures made of?
Many sculpture recreates the silhouettes of the Tellem culture, featuring raised arms and a thick patina, or surface layer, made of blood and millet beer.
Where is Ife art located?
Ifẹ̀ (Yoruba: Ifẹ̀, also Ilé-Ifẹ̀) is an ancient Yoruba city in south-western Nigeria. The city is located in present-day Osun State. Ife is about 218 kilometers northeast of Lagos with a population of 509,813, the highest in Osun State according to population census of 2006.
Why are there holes in the bronze Ife heads near the mouth?
These brass heads differ from the terracotta ones in that they all have holes around the hairline and on their necks, and some have holes on the face. A bead was found in one of the holes, and scholars conclude the holes were used to attach a beaded veil to hide the mouth (Drewal, Schildkrout 2009).
Which elements or principles of art that the painters are using?
These are line, shape, color, value, form, texture, and space. The principles of art represent how the artist uses the elements of art to create an effect and to help convey the artist’s intent. The principles of art and design are balance, contrast, emphasis, movement, pattern, rhythm, and unity/variety.
Who conquered the Benin Empire?
The British Conquest of Benin and the Oba’s Return. In the 19th century, disputes over trade led to strain between Benin and its chief trading partner, Great Britain. This escalated as the European powers moved to divide Africa into colonial territories.
What type of art is practiced in ancient Benin Kingdom?
Primarily made of cast bronze and carved ivory, Benin art was produced mainly for the court of the Oba of Benin – a divine ruler for whom the craftsmen produced a range of ceremonially significant objects.
What do the Benin Bronzes represent?
The Benin Bronzes are from Benin City The 3,000-plus items that make up the Benin Bronzes include statues and plaques that decorated the palace of the Oba, the king of Benin, and are representations of kings and queen mothers of the Edo people (the people of Benin) and a historical record of the kingdom.
What do the Benin Bronzes show?
The ‘Benin Bronzes’ (made of brass and bronze) are a group of sculptures which include elaborately decorated cast plaques, commemorative heads, animal and human figures, items of royal regalia, and personal ornaments.
What technique was used to create a Nok sculpture?
Although terracottas are usually formed using additive techniques, many Nok pieces were sculpted subtractively in a manner similar to carving. This distinctive approach suggests that a comparable wood-carving tradition may have influenced them.
What are the typical design characteristics of Nok sculpture?
These artifacts are mostly terracotta sculptures of human heads, human figures, and animals. One of the identifying characteristics of Nok sculptures is the triangular or oval-shaped eyes on human faces. Human figures also often have elaborate hair styles.
