2. Why are the masks made?
• Ritual and ceremonial masks are an
essential feature of the traditional
culture and art of the peoples of
Subsaharan and West Africa. While the
specific implications associated to
ritual masks widely vary in different
cultures, some traits are common to
most African cultures: e.g., 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
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9. • The African Tribal Artist
• The African tribal artist's training, which may last many years,
involves the knowledge of traditional carving techniques and
how these apply to the social and religious objects he creates.
His craft can be learned as an apprentice in the workshop of a
master carver, or sometimes these skills are passed down
from father to son through many generations of his family.
• The Role of the African Tribal Artist
• The artist holds a respected position in African tribal society. It
is his job to provide the various masks and sculptures for use
in ritual ceremonies. His work is valued for its spiritual, rather
than its aesthetic qualities. Art without a 'spiritual dimension',
in the broadest sense of the term, never transcends the level
of mere craftsmanship and is unable to communicate those
elevated emotions that are born from a deeper mystical
inspiration.
10. • At the dawn of the 20th century,
European artists were looking for
new forms of expression that
challenged, rather than simply
illustrated, their rapidly changing
world of ideas and technology. The
traditional techniques of realism
and perspective seemed
overworked and predictable. Their
solution was to draw on images
