African Art and the Effects of European Contact and Colonization

•   May 16, 2019
•   Tijan
•   Art

Africa is filled with a rich culture and materials of great creativity. The African traditions have the chance of staying till the end of time if it is preserved co-ordinate. The presence of the former colonial masters has an upshot on what is today African art. This has promoted many avenues of contemporary African art by revealing to the world that creativity that has been linked with past has come back to beingness in modern day Africa. This is why non so many African arts are independent as history has shown or gives us insight every bit to what is present in today'southward gild. Colonization is not only role of African history in art merely has also contributed to the present day art found in Africa.

Colonization has a not bad affect on Africa'southward art and civilization which includes contemporary African art music and trip the light fantastic toe, description, materials, subjects and purpose that were profoundly influenced past the Europeans presence in Africa. The Europeans saw Africa as the real deal in those days with great opportunity that they believe is found in Africa. The Europeans have the notion that African people were primitive which made them came to Africa to practise their plans such as making Africans feel they were superior to the Europeans. African later saw them as junior every bit the Europeans presence has affected almost all the sectors of the African economy. Co-ordinate to one historian named James Giblin, he explains that the participation of Africans in the slave trade with all the oppressions under the European dominion had a directly bear on on contemporary African art.

African culture and art was labeled tribal and primitive or inferior and is still been seen past people. This is been in being since colonial rule. This was considering African gimmicky art was unique from the Europeans value on the fine art they were label tribal and inferior. Today the word tribal is associated with old fashioned, primitive and ignorance. The term archaic has been used and is withal been used past westerners to characterization African art, only African art has continued to play an of import role in the globe today which critics but accept.

African fine art can be said to have moved away from traditional styles and values because of the furnishings of colonialism. This has been shown in when defining African art as in the case of young African artists. These fine art has shown the history of their culture and people. Abstract art was also very mutual during those days only the coming of Europeans has given fashion to conceptual art and was on the rise. Abstract art became very famous during the colonial rule every bit it was influenced by Europeans.

Fine art was as well seen afflicted on a high degree as African schools were opened in accord with the principle of the Europeans Christian missionaries who travel to many regions inside Africa and congenital schools that some of these schools accept been existing until today. These schools take converted many Africans into Christians as for one to get admission in these your name will be inverse to a Christian name and you have to pray in the Christian style. This has converted many Africans to become Christians and this has been passed from generations to another. This schools provided new art techniques, aesthetics and a form of African art that shows their traditional culture with of their European colonizers. This includes descriptions, materials, and subjects that are influenced by the Europeans. After techniques and materials changed as trade allow new materials to be exchanged. African fine art was regarded as archaic even when they are well known in their communities.

When this Europeans came to Africa they don't see African artists such as landscapes and forest etching as a grade of art simply that these naturalism are mask, totems, and statues only show religious, fertility or social contexts. As this form of art was not appreciated by the Europeans during that time. This has besides impacted the way Africans meet traditional sculpture as fine art due to the style the colonial masters take viewed them. Before the arrival of the Europeans sculpture was regarded equally bully art and respected in all the African communities every bit special value and honor were given to these sculptures.

Information technology went to a stage that the secrets behind every sculpture were known by the Europeans. As time passed these sculptures became meaningless and so the Africans started to produce equally many every bit possible, now the Europeans started to buy them and send dorsum habitation as artifacts, and those that were not sold were stolen by the Europeans and later sold them in big museums, which can be seen in major European museums being displayed. Co-ordinate to many historians, colonization has cast a shadow on African art but the shadow makes the story.

In determination, African art was born from its indigenous roots and influenced by the European colonization is just like to empathize that a leaf is built-in from a tree. Colonialism on gimmicky African art will continue affecting African art till the cease of fourth dimension.

Facebook

Instagram

Twitter

Pinterest

zimmermannancterionts1956.blogspot.com

Source: https://www.afrizar.com/blog-detail/impacts-of-colonization-on-africa-art

Share this post