Papers on "Ancient African Art" and similar term paper topics

Paper #101978 :: Ancient African Art
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A discussion of forms, functions and themes in West and Central African art.

Written in 2008; 1,063 words; 1 source; APA; $ 37.95

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes human portraiture in ancient African art. It explains that some of the earliest and most sophisticated forms of self-representation via art come from west and central Africa and the visual artistic output of these portions of the continent easily rival that of Europe some 1500 years later. The paper points out that the first known examples of such projected human images generally came in the form of sculpture and this method of portraiture resulted in a legacy of sophisticated human countenance pieces that demonstrated a cross-section of abstract interpretation and perhaps the first example of naturalism. The paper notes that the use of portraiture was generally only reserved for royalty and most of what we know today about this comes from an assimilation of oral tradition and interpretive archaeological intuition. The paper also looks at the earliest traceable discovery of human portraiture in Nigeria - the Nok era. The paper discusses the exclusivity of portraiture and looks at how the naturalistic tendencies of representation suggest that these likenesses were designed to reflect the appearance of specific individuals.

From the Paper:

"The earliest traceable discovery marking such qualities is the Male Head Nok, so named for the Nok region of Nigeria from where it was excavated. The Nok era denoted by the head is regarded as occurring around 500BC and lasting until 200AD. It is indicative of that time by its terra cotta composition which reflects a common form for portraiture at the time. This was concurrent with the Iron Age, so much forging of iron was also part and parcel of artistic expression. In addition, wood carving would come to take on a significant role in portraiture. The Male Head Nok, featuring a dramatically up-scaled crown, a narrow but upwardly widening head, broad eyes and deeply flattened nostrils. The man depicted here helps both to preserve some possible physical characteristics of the ancient subject and to give future generations an indication of the interpretive elements involved in rendering human likeness."

Tags: portraiture archaeological Nigeria Nok native culture regal

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