1. AFRICA AFTER 1800
GARDNER 34-1 PP

2. AFRICA AFTER 1800 - BACKGROUND
African affairs were largely internal struggles -> outsiders held back by natural barriers like the Indian Ocean and Sahara desert
African politics was complicated by the Asian and European incursion on both the east and west coasts of the continent in the 15th century
Outsiders restricted themselves to coastal areas -> interior of Africa undisturbed until the 19th century
In the late 19th century industrial technology and demands led to a “New Imperialism”
The “Scramble for Africa” divided the continent into European controlled colonies
Colonial control lasted less than a century -> most colonies achieved independence in the 1960’s and 70’s

3. PATRONAGE AND ARTISTIC LIFE
Africans rely on an oral tradition to record their history
African objects are unsigned and undated
African artists worked on commission
Apprenticeships and guilds
Men were builders and carvers
Women painted walls and created ceramics
Both sexes were weavers
African art was imported into Europe during the Renaissance -> as curiosities not as artistic objects
It was not until the 2oth century that African art began to find true acceptance in European artistic circles

4. KUBA
(171-1) Ndop (portrait figure) of King Mishe miShyaang maMbul, Kuba peoples (Democratic Republic of the Congo), c C.E., wood
The Kuba live in the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the southern fringes of the equatorial forest -> over a period of three centuries of movement and exchange beginning in the 17th century, this loose confederacy of people formed into a durable kingdom

5. Ndop figures are commemorative portraits of Kuba rulers -> presented in an ideal state
Not an actual representation of the king , but his spirit
Each king is commemorated by symbols on base of the figure (drum with a severed hand) -> this king has a sword in his left hand in a non-aggressive pose, handle facing out
One of the earliest existing wood sculptures
Characteristics of ndop figures -> cross- legged pose, sits on a base, base seems uninvolved and above mortal affairs
Exaggerated 1 to 3 scale of the head -> the seat of intelligence
Royal regalia = bracelets, armbands, belts, headdress
Designed to preserve the ruler’s accomplishments for posterity -> especially useful in a culture of oral traditions

6. CONTEXTUAL IMAGE: KUBA NYIM (RULER)
(171-2) Ndop (portrait figure) of King Mishe miShyaang maMbul, CONTEXTUAL PHOTOGRAPH, Kuba peoples (Democratic Republic of the Congo), c C.E., wood
Photo of a Kuba ruler enthroned wearing royal regalia
Headdress
Necklace of leopard teeth
Sword and lance
Drums and basket of reign
Photo made in 1971 capturing a royal event
Continuous tradition of honoring a Kuba king
Costuming was elaborate; needed help to move; represents the splendor of his court, his greatness, and his responsibilities
Symbolizes ruler’s wealth, status, and power

7. POWER FIGURE (N’KISI N’KONDI)
(172) Power figure (Nkisis n’kondi), Kongo peoples (Democratic Republic of the Congo), c. late 19th century C.E., wood and metal
These images embodied spirits believed to heal and give life, or others to inflict harm, disease, or even death
Each figure had its specific role and each wore its particular medicines -> here a large cowrie shell in the abdomen
Every image was activated differently -> in this case a nail or blade was inserted into it
Roles of the power figures varied -> curing ailments, stimulating crop growth, punishing thieves, weakening enemies

8. BUALE
Portrait mask (Mblo), late 19th to early twentieth century, wood and pigment
Presented at Mblo performances in which an individual is honored buy having ritual dances and tributes are performed in someone’s honor
Honoree receives mask as a gift that reflects an artistic double
Masks commissioned by a group of admirers, not by an individual
Dancer who wears the mask and wears the clothes of the honored person is accompanied by the actual person

9. CONTEXTUAL IMAGE: (174-2) Portrait Mask (Mblo)
Idealized representation of the real person; not a portrait in the modern sense of the term
Portraits of real people, even if commemorative, are rare in African art
Broad foreheads, pronounced eye sockets, column shaped nose
Quiet faces; introspective look; peaceful face; meditative; eyebrows in an arch