Presented by geographic region, this book provides a comprehensive introduction to the important traditions of African art within the artistic and historical context of each region. Visual Arts of Africa emphasizes gender, power, and life cycle rituals related to African artistic traditions and provides a focus on the social, religious, and political contexts in which much of the art functions. The book presents the diversity of African art by covering a wide range of art forms, from wooden and metal sculpture to textiles, dress, ceramics, architecture, and architectural decoration. It presents the historical and cultural artistic traditions of each geographic region through a range of art forms, from the earliest known documented art works to contemporary works by late twentieth century artists. Also includes recent published field research. A valuable reference book for any reader who wishes a greater understanding of the historical and cultural traditions of African art.

Visual Arts of Africa: Gender, Power, and Life Cycle Rituals

Arts & Photography

Smith, Fred T.

Perani, Judith

History & Criticism

Pearson

The Visual Arts of Africa: Gender, Power, and Life Cycle Rituals presents a broad geographical coverage of the rich, diverse art traditions found on the vast continent of Africa. It is designed for single-semester survey courses on African Art, and can also be used as part of a survey of global art course. Beginning with North Africa and the Sahara and ending with South Africa, the book introduces students to major art traditions ranging from important ancient, archaeological finds to the work of artists active today, both those working with received traditions as well as those trained in Western institutions. The book's organization is based on a geographical approach, allowing for art works to be situated within the particular historical and cultural contexts of the different geographical regions of Africa. For each major geographical region, a selection of early documented art works to more recent art traditions are examined. Throughout the text the authors give special attention to the important themes of gender, power, and life cycle rituals that frequently intersect with one another to inform an understanding of the arts of Africa.

The Visual Arts of Africa: Gender, Power, and Life Cycle Rituals

Oxford University Press

Cloth, Dress and Art Patronage in Africa (Dress, Body, Culture)

Drawing examples from a wide range of African cultures, this ground-breaking book expands the continuing discourse on the aesthetic and cultural significance of cloth, body and dress in Africa and moves beyond contextual analysis to consider the broader application of cloth and dress to art forms in other media. In blending the concerns of Art History and Anthropology, the authors focus on the art patronage systems that stimulate production, consumption, commodification and cultural meaning, and emphasize the overriding importance of cloth to aesthetic and cultural expression in African societies. Through this approach they reveal complex processes that involve a series of actors, including textile artists, commissioning-patrons and consumer-patrons, all of whom shape cloth and dress traditions. These individuals not only influence production, but are a key to understanding the cultural meaning of cloth and dress and, by extension, the body in Africa.

Wolff, Norma

Graphic Design

Berg Publishers

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Books by Perani, Judith