Traditional African Masks
by Al Bourassa
Title
Traditional African Masks
Artist
Al Bourassa
Medium
Photograph - Photographic Artworks
Description
From Wikipedia: Ritual and ceremonial masks are an essential feature of the traditional culture and art of the peoples of Sub-Saharan Africa. While the specific implications associated to ritual masks widely vary in different cultures, some traits are common to most African cultures. For instance, masks usually have a spiritual and religious meaning and they are used in ritual dances and social and religious events, and a special status is attributed to the artists that create masks and to those that wear them in ceremonies. In most cases, mask-making is an art that is passed on from father to son, along with the knowledge of the symbolic meanings conveyed by such masks.
Masks are one of the elements of great African art that have most evidently influenced European and Western art in general; in the 20th century, artistic movements such as cubism, fauvism and expressionism have often taken inspiration from the vast and diverse heritage of African masks. Influences of this heritage can also be found in other traditions such as South and Central American masked Carnival parades.
In most traditional African cultures, the person who wears a ritual mask conceptually loses his or her human identity and turns into the spirit represented by the mask itself. This transformation of the mask wearer into a spirit usually relies on other practices, such as specific types of music and dance, or ritual costumes that contribute to conceal the mask-wearer’s human identity. The mask wearer thus becomes a sort of medium that allows for a dialogue between the community and the spirits (usually those of the dead or nature-related spirits). Masked dances are a part of most traditional African ceremonies related to weddings, funerals, initiation rites, and so on. Some of the most complex rituals that have been studied by scholars are found in Nigerian cultures such as those of the Yoruba and Edo peoples, that bear some resemblances to the Western notion of theatre.
Since every mask has a specific spiritual meaning, most traditions comprise several different traditional masks. The traditional religion of the Dogon people of Mali, for example, comprises three main cults (the Awa or cult of the dead, the Bini or cult of the communication with the spirits, and the Lebe or cult of nature); each of these has its pantheon of spirits, corresponding to 78 different types of masks overall. It is often the case that the artistic quality and complexity of a mask reflects the relative importance of the portrayed spirit in the systems of beliefs of a particular people; for example, simpler masks such as the kple kple of the Baoulé people of Côte d’Ivoire (essentially a circle with minimal eyes, mouth and horns) are associated to minor spirits.
African masks are usually shaped after a human face or some animal’s muzzle, albeit rendered in a sometimes highly abstract form.
Stylish elements in a mask’s looks are codified by the tradition and may either identify a specific community or convey specific meanings.
Animal masks might actually represent the spirit of animals, so that the mask-wearer becomes a medium to speak to animals themselves.
A common variation on the animal-mask theme is the composition of several distinct animal traits in a single mask, sometimes along with human traits. Merging distinct animal traits together is sometimes a means to represent unusual, exceptional virtue or high status.
Another common subject of African masks is a woman’s face, usually based on a specific culture’s ideal of feminine beauty.
As the veneration of defunct ancestors is a fundamental element of most African traditional cultures, it is not surprising that the dead is also a common subject for masks. Masks referring to dead ancestors are most often shaped after a human skull.
The most commonly used material for masks is wood, although a wide variety of other elements can be used, including light stone such as steatite, metals such as copper or bronze, different types of fabric, pottery, and more. Some masks are painted (for example using ochre or other natural colorants). A wide array of ornamental items can be applied to the mask surface; example include animal hair, horns, or teeth, sea shells, seeds, straws, egg shell, and feathers.
This digitally altered artwork is derived from a photograph taken at a friend’s home Oct 5/14 in Cuenca, Ecuador, South America nestled in the Andes Mountains. My friends have worked and traveled all over the world and have many, many artifacts from very exotic places.
NOTE that the Fine Art America watermark will NOT appear on any purchased product.
All work is copyright protected and may not be used in any way without purchase.
I do hope you enjoy my work. Comments are graciously accepted. Favoring is greatly appreciated and will garner a response. Purchases are fantastic!
You may see more artwork for sale at http://saccc05.tripod.com/
Uploaded
April 16th, 2015
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