African art
African paintings often are recognized by their use of color, structures and unique images. Although it might not be apparent at first, African paintings often tell a story; most are inspired by the historic struggles and lifestyles of Africans. With a rich history and evolving techniques that affect the modern perception of paintings, African art is interesting on many levels.
History
Africa has a long and complex history of settlements and an expansive cultural diversity, and African art often reflects historical and cultural elements. However, African paintings also reflect tribal art and events spread over many centuries.
Themes
In African paintings, the common themes include couples, woman with child, male with weapon or an outsider or stranger. According to Africa Guide, couples may represent ancestors, married couples, twins or community founders. Paintings that show couples often are created as shrines or ceremonial honors. If the couple is one male and one female, it often depicts strength and honor, not love and intimacy. Although the mother and child theme is often a symbol of mother earth, it also can reflect the mother-child relationship, which is vital to African culture. Paintings of males carrying weapons are commonly depicted as showing honor to departed ancestors. The outsider or stranger usually depicts someone from a different country or tribe. Strangers are not welcomed, and distorted art usually signals the gap between Africans and outsiders.
Music and Rhythm
Music is a large part of African culture, and musical rhythm plays a role in African art. In art, rhythm is aligned with movement and often relies on repeating units, patterns, shapes and curves. According to Arcy Art, rhythm in paintings is the relation of forms united coherently by repeating similar shapes throughout the painting.
Color and Tone
According to Web Exhibits, the use of color in African paintings has evolved in response to changes in environment. This is particularly important for the interpretation of color use within ritual ceremonial paintings. New paintings tend to be more colorful than those made in the past, which could signal that more resources have become available within the art scene. In African art, the use of color has become a significant element, as it helps stimulate the eyes and enhance emotions that often are activated by rhythmic drums, human voices and dynamic dancing bodies. According to Web Exhibits, African art is not only for the eyes.
Modern African Painting
Nigeria has an active African arts scene that is dynamic, diverse and attracts tourists from around the world. As with older African paintings, modern African paintings are warm and have a vibrant and active interplay of colors. According to Modern African Art, combining the vitality of Africa's great culture and tradition with a modern approach results in unique paintings.
