The Historical Life of Objects (original) (raw)
Supplements to the Study of African Works of Art
Mediterranean journal of social sciences, 2022
For many years, the history of the arts, crafts and connoisseurship has been determined using the sensory organs; with the introduction of technology, researches in the sciences have found their ways into the study of humanities and the arts. There exists recently additional modern, genuine and acceptable ways of assessing art historical studies other than the traditional sensory means-sight and touch. There is the need for art historical studies now to be more advanced, viewed from a global standard. Apart from formal, iconographic and iconological analyses, art historical studies of the 21st century attends to other pressing evidence and developments with the use of hi-tech and the embrace of scientific approach to studying works of art. Qualitative and evaluative modes of research have been employed for this discourse; it concludes with recommendations to research institutes and African governments to show interest in material compositional information of African art objects for their scientific and historical significance.
Influence of Traditional Art of Africa on Contemporary Art Praxis: The Ibibio Funerary Art Example
International Journal of Art and Art History, 2020
African art, with exception of Egyptian art, has suffered scholastic neglect as only a little scholarship has been done regarding them. This has resulted in the misconception that traditional African art contributes little or nothing to the development of contemporary art. This paper, in an attempt to dispel such misconception, projects an aspect of indigenous Ibibio art praxis-funerary art to reveal Ibibio art culture"s influence on contemporary art praxis. The objectives are to identify traditional Ibibio funerary art forms; highlight its transformation; and examine its influence on contemporary art praxis. It benefits from analogue and digital library sources, and information sought from interviews of knowledgeable persons in the locality. Findings reveal that traditional Ibibio funerary art forms, which include ekpu carvings, paintings and drawings on "Nwommo"and "Iso Nduongo" shrines and ekpo mask carvings, form a bedrock on which a great deal of contemporary art praxis within Ibibio land and its environs rests, as contemporary African art is an extension of traditional African art. The paper, therefore, recommends that more scholastic work be carried out on African art cultures for more revelations of their contributions to the development of contemporary art.
In search for a philosophy of African art
This article examines the obstacles and possibilities of a philosophy of African art. It addresses the problem that the words 'philosophy' and 'art' have a Greco-Roman origin. For a long time philosophy was understood as rational argumentation and art as an aesthetic object. This was a determining factor for the rise of a Eurocentric orientation of Western philosophy and art history. If we want to reflect on (traditional) African philosophy and art we might have to look for a broader concept of philosophy and make a distinction between art as an aesthetic object and art as a cult object. From this point of view I will reflect on the question if-and in what sense-we can find in the Ifá divination of the Yoruba in Nigeria a philosophy that can help us to understand the traditional artworks of the Yoruba.
2020
The term ‘African Art’ is typically used for the classification of the art of Sub-Saharan Africa. It appears casual, amateurish and primitive by the classical proportion of European art, which is the way traditional African art is regarded. Truth be said, the continent comprise ideas from different cultural groups and civilization, each with a unique art tradition, architecture and lifestyle. It is as a result of this, we cannot talk about African Art without reference to the impact of some related disciplines, such as architecture and archaeology. Various Studies have shown that before the advent of Europeans and Americans with their influences on Africa culture, the people have already made significant contribution to develop themselves in the areas of ancient architecture, traditional medicine and technology, the African way of life depicts so many chronologically arranged pattern of operation and such was adhered to fully and passed down from age to age. Existing scholarship add...
Unity in Diversity: The Preserved Art Works of the Varied Peoples of Abeokuta from 1830 to Date
Journal for Learning through the Arts: A Research Journal on Arts Integration in Schools and Communities, 2021
Much has been written on the history of Abeokuta and their artworks since their occupation of Abeokuta. Yoruba works of art are in museums and private collections abroad. Many museums in the Western part of Nigeria including the National Museum in Abeokuta also have works of art on display; however, much of these are not specific to Abeokuta. Writers on Abeokuta works of art include both foreign and Nigerian scholars. This study uses historical theory to study works of art collected and preserved on Abeokuta since inception of the Egba, Owu and Yewa (Egbado) occupation of the town and looks at implications for development in the 21 st century. The study involved the collection of data from primary sources within Abeokuta in addition to secondary sources of information on varied works of art including Ifa and Ogboni paraphernalia. In particular, this research unravels a mix up in international documentation of Abeokuta works. The study also shows that very little has been done to improve on indigenous technologies through introduction of modern machinery for production. Recommendations are made for improving production to promote tourism and industrialisation without undermining the cultural identity of the people.
Ola Oloidi in the Development of Modern Art History in Nigeria, 1980 – 2020
International Journal of Research and Scientific Innovation
Employing historiography, this article traces the roles of the art historian, Ola Oloidi, in the origin and development of modern Nigerian art history. The study of art history in Nigeria before Oloidi’s intervention was akin to anthropology. In the mid-1980s, he presumably changed this trend. He originated what is today known as the history of modern Nigerian art and initiated strategies to reposition art historical studies in their correct perspective. He defended the cause of modern Nigerian art and art history through incisive and insightful texts buttressed with objective, constructive, and critical arguments. Thus, he left indelible footprints in the field of art historical studies in Nigeria. Ola Oloidi’s innovative and ground-breaking ideas about art and its reportage in Nigeria provide an inestimable fount of knowledge that other Nigerian art historians have drawn from to further advance historical discourses that deepen understanding of modern Nigerian art. He bequeathed t...
Art in Ancient Ife, Birthplace of the Yoruba
A rtists the world over shape knowledge and material into works of unique historical importance. e artists of ancient Ife, ancestral home to the Yoruba and mythic birthplace of gods and humans, clearly were interested in creating works that could be read. Breaking the symbolic code that lies behind the unique meanings of Ife's ancient sculptures, however, has vexed scholars working on this material for over a century. While much remains to be learned, thanks to a better understanding of the larger corpus of ancient Ife arts and the history of this important southwestern Nigerian center, key aspects of this code can now be discerned. In this article I explore how these arts both inform and are enriched by early Ife history and the leaders who shaped it. In addition to core questions of art iconography and symbolism, I also address the potent social, political, religious, and historical import of these works and what they reveal about Ife (Ile-Ife) as an early cosmopolitan center My analysis moves away from the recent framing of ancient Ife art from the vantage of Yoruba cultural practices collected in Nigeria more broadly, and/or the indiscriminate use of regional and modern Yoruba proverbs, poems, or language idioms to inform this city's unique -year-old sculptural oeuvre. Instead I focus on historical and other considerations in metropolitan Ife itself. is shi is an important one because Ife's history, language, and art forms are notably di erent than those in the wider Yoruba region and later eras. My approach also di ers from recent studies that either ahistorically superimpose contemporary cultural conventions on the reading of ancient works or unilinearly posit art development models concerning form or material di erences that lack grounding in Ife archaeological evidence. My aim instead is to reengage these remarkable