Differences in the theme of African art

Common historical and environmental influences make for similarities,but there is also great diversity.Most social activity is marked by some art expression.Singing and dancing,though widespread,does not exist among all communities.Some carve,others do not.Styles and themes therefore vary from group to group.Every community tries to represent ancestral beliefs or faith in a supreme being in its unique way,resulting in great differences of art forms.

Attributes of African art

AFRICAN ART IS FUNCTIONAL:

It's purpose is it's purpose,whether it is economical,magical or religious.

IT IS A WAY OF LIVING
All its forms,whether masks,sculpture,houses,fabrics,pottery,music or dance make the invisible visible and reveal the meaning of the confrontation between life and death.There is no distinction between art and craft-what is used,worn and co-existed with

Paul Klee,influenced by African art famously said that the task of art is to make the invisible visible.

THE AFRICAN ARTIST IS NOT CONSIDERED AN ARTIST
He could be a farmer who carves or a smith who is blessed with magical powers.The responsibility for understanding the operation of forces issuing from the divine power and controlling them in a meaningful way lies in the medicine man or priest.It is the priest who communicates the need for a certain form to the carver if it is to have some spiritual endowment.

AFRICAN ART IS A COMMUNAL CONCEPTION
In Africa,community existed prior to the individual and the individual is just a small part of a long tradition.This sense of unity extends to nature and to the earth-earth belongs to ancestors

AFRICAN ART IS ONE THAT IN EQUILIBRIUM WITH NATURE AND FORMS A COMMUNION WITH NATURE
In Africa,sculpture could be a receptacle of the ancestor's spirituality and has the ability to transmit that spirituality when necessary.Its message or meaning becomes its presence.

AFRICAN ART IS CLOSER TO LIFE THAN THAT OF OTHER COUNTRIES
Its art forms are within every man's reach.They are a necessity,an integral force and part of life.They invite direct participation in their uses.This is the vitality in African art.

SUMMARY
African art explains the past,describes values and a way of life,helps man relate to supernatural forces,mediate where there are disagreements and conflict and enhances man's present life as a symbol of pride or status as well as providing entertainment through dance,poetry or music.

African art as a language

Art is important to man,just as language and social organization.It has accompanied man since time immemorial.It features prominently in many societies and this has even led to some people saying that it could a response to a biological or psychological need.Art is one of the commonest forms of human behavior.

however,the use of the word "art" is not relevant when describing African "art".It is really a European term reinforced by European culture.The use of other terms such as exotic art,primitive art and so on,to show the differences is just as misleading.Such terms imply that African art is on a lower cultural level.Levels of culture are irrelevant,as African and European attitudes towards the creative act are totally different.