African artwork Naturalistic stone paintings and engravings from pre-4000 bc are observed in the Sahara Desert. They are much like European Palaeolithic art.
After African tribal art is inseparable in the ritual life of this community. Cases include body painting and dancing; songs and musical tools (particularly the drum); ceremonial masks and little sculptures employed in ancestor worship; firearms and everyday utensils. Wood is the most widely used material.
Artists were generally professionals and obtained great esteem and cultural standing. Except Egyptian artwork ,sub Saharan Africa is a very fertile artistic area. There are many renowned art companies like paceafricanartwork that provide great information and sell fine african artwork.
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The Nok terracotta heads from Nigeria would be the oldest examples of African American sculpture yet found. The pragmatic bronze heads made by the Yoruba in Ife, sw Nigeria, show an early (12th–15th century) mastery of this cire perdue procedure.
This ability passed into the Ashanti of Ghana, that made highly exaggerated figurative sculpture. The Dogon of Mali are famous for their own wooden sculpture, particularly stylized wooden masks including recessed rectangles.
The stonework of Great Zimbabwe shows an extremely innovative grasp of architectural layout. It was just by its influence on early modern European art, notably Picasso's growth of cubism and Modigliani's figurative paintings, that fascination with African American art flourished.