An Article On African Sculptures

By Jerry Graham


Africa has a diverse culture due to the existence of various language speaking groups together in the 56 nations. Each nation has its own separate identifiable cultural value. The need to store such kind of information for future generations lead to developments of African Sculptures. They are used to store information of the various ritual functions. Made by talented individuals with sufficient knowledge about the cultures, they paint a clear picture of the culture in Africa.

The carvings exist in various types. Masks, figures and many other formulations can be made. The materials used to make them include bronze, stones, porcelain, brass, and wood. They are made in a way to resemble human activities. The activities depend on the specific culture including hunting, family times and other socioeconomic forms which existed in the traditional setting.

Variations exist in these sculptures. This is due to the mere fact that different nations are located at different places or locations and have a history of practicing different activities. The representation of these forms, therefore, vary from region to region. In general, Africa is divided to four areas in relation to artistic representation. Having said this, the materials and various techniques vary depending on these regions.

To start with is the West African region. In this region, their arts represented humans with elongated and serene faces, angular in shape. Their main item of carving is wood. They carve to depict their various religious values. The second region being east Africa. The region, not vastly into sculpturing, made statues on a pole. These pole statues represented human beings and various objects.

The east African carvings mainly portray and used in death and funeral rituals. The Maasai of Kenya is the most recognized community doing this activity. The Central region is the third region of classification. Their arts vary as they contain dotted patterns with heart shaped figures. Materials commonly used for carving include ivory, bone, metals, and stones.

Finally in the south that includes the South African state, they have a variety of shapes that are usually made from clay or wood among other materials. The form they take varies from the kind of materials that are used to carve them. A statute made from different materials combined together means that there was considerations made on caring on the kind of material to use.

Wooden materials which are the most commonly used kind of material is taken care of using a damp piece of cloth that is used to dust off the surfaces of the wood. For bronze, a ventilated room or place is required and also it should have a minimum amount of heat and humidity. Considering the fact that terracotta statutes are porous and usually unfinished, they should be cared using a light cloth. Heavy cleaning can be done using paint bushes

In conclusion, when buying a sculpture consider various things. Using the internet, it is easy to do research on the items. It is, therefore, necessary that you look at the prices and the feedback from people and the kind of likes that you have in various carvings.




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