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African Masks: main page
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African art, and in particular African masks, have had an enormous influence on western art, culture and design. This influence can be found in fields as diverse as textile and fashion design, in architecture, painting and sculpture, as well as in graphic design.
The magnificent geometric forms of African masks have enabled African art to take its place among the world's most admired forms of artistic expression. However, the admiration and acclaim has not always been accompanied by an understanding of the African cultures that gave rise to the forms and designs of African art. In African cultures the formal characteristics of the art have usually been intimately associated with magic and religious beliefs and practices. In what follows we will attempt to tell the story of African masks and in the process we hope to throw some light on traditional African life and culture.
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You can review African masks on a mask by mask basis, using a thumbnail picture to start with;
or you can approach African masks from a geographical perspective (a map of Africa) and from there read about the history, customs, religion and economy of the tribes and then see pictures of the masks that are made by the tribesfolk.
Search thru our alphabetical list of African tribes - you may need to use one of the alternative names by which the tribe is known. |
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