2.0: Chapter Introduction

Introduction: A Dogon Figure and the In-Between

In the summer of 2021, the San Diego Museum of Art opened a new exhibition that starred a single object. In the center of a small gallery with its walls painted a velvety midnight blue, the wooden sculpture, protected by a clear plexiglass case, seemed to glow under the dramatic overhead lighting. Visitors spoke in whispers, intensifying the chapel-like sense of the space. And if the presentation lent the artwork a sense of mystery, the wall label did little to dispel it: the sculpture was simply titled “Standing figure holding object above head,” a wooden carving by the Dogon peoples of Mali, Africa.

Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Standing Figure Holding Object Above Head, Wood, 19th century; The San Diego Museum of Art: Gift of Valerie Franklin. www.sdmart.org. (Photo: San Diego Museum of Art, used by permission)

The figure has an elongated wooden torso; slightly-bent, similarly tubular legs; and a right arm that stretches bonelessly up to steady an object balanced atop his head. His abstracted features include a pointy beard and prominent male genitalia, but pronounced breasts add what Guest Curator Dr. Denise Rogers calls “a female element to the overall male characteristics in the figure.” She adds that Dogon sculpture often visually references intersex qualities associated with Nommo, who, according to the museum’s Curator of South Asian and Islamic Art, Dr. Ladan Akbarnia, are “eight sacred primordial ancestors of humankind.” In the Dogon foundation story, she explains, one of these eight is a blacksmith, who, by stealing fire from the supreme creator, Amma, and bringing it to earth, is the source of all life here. Akbarnia writes that in Dogon culture, “Blacksmiths are revered for their power to use and transform earth, fire, and water. Their expertise in these materials enables them to produce everyday as well as ritual objects, and to oversee ritual ceremonies.” These ritual objects they create are not separate from those ceremonies, nor are they simply aesthetic objects for display. As manifestations of sacred spirits, with the ability to act as what Rogers calls “a conduit between the heavenly and earthly realms,” they contain immense power and are treated accordingly.

As the museum label makes clear, this figure’s specific identity and purpose is unconfirmed, although Akbarnia points out that the lines carved into its torso “recall geometric patterns in scars adorning male and female Dogon sculptures” and that “raised arms are believed to channel prayer.” It is unclear what the figure holds above his head; it resembles a drum or stool, but has not been definitively identified. Unlike the majority of objects in the museum’s collection, which predominantly features European and American art, the sculpture’s label lacks either an artist or a specific date. It was created across the globe in present-day Mali, where the Dogon “have maintained their heritage, religious traditions, and diverse languages over time,” as Akbarnia puts it. However, she continues, Dogon culture “also embodies the syncretism of coexistence with and conversion to other faiths, such as Christianity and Islam, the predominant religion of Mali. (Learn more about the Islamic Great Mosque of Djenné.)

The presentation of this Dogon sculpture also introduces complex discussions around museum display practices and context, particularly in regards to African art. Historically, museums have not always labeled art from Africa correctly, nor fully. Sometimes this has to do with the provenance of the item, and a lack of information or documentation about the art before it arrived at the museum—and it gets even more complicated if the object was originally looted, stolen, or came to the museum illegally. Other times, art has not always been researched as fully as possible before being displayed at a museum. And although this can happen with art from anywhere, there has been a problematic history of African art’s being labeled as an “unknown” or by an “unknown” artist, when the artist’s name or more information about the artwork could have been found. (Read Elizabeth Bigham’s fascinating article about how Malian photographer Seydou Keïta was first labeled as “unknown” in a blockbuster New York show, even though his work was immediately recognizable and famous in Bamako, Mali.)

In the case of the Dogon figure, there might be living Dogon artists and people who could help to answer questions about the sculpture's identity, what the figure is holding, and more. Finally, art from outside of Europe and America is often displayed with an air of mystery in dimly lit rooms, and fully decontextualized. Context is important to all art, but it is particularly important when the objects being presented have a deeper meaning and function than aesthetic value. For instance, this Bundu/Sowei Helmet Mask would normally be worn and danced only by women, with specific music and dress to accompany it, but now hangs in a display case against the white walls of the museum, without music, function, or a person to dance it. Recently, more art historians are turning to oral history and interviews to help inform current scholarship and provide more context, while local art historians with knowledge of art from where they are from are also contributing to the field.

In all of these ways, the Dogon figure at the San Diego Museum of Art straddles locations, definitions, and even metaphysical realms, while also reminding viewers of important display practices, context, and cultural considerations. It is a physical object, yet was designed to connect to the spiritual. It is on display in an art museum as a visually appealing and intriguing sculpture, but was crafted for ritual use from which it is now separated. It is an example of the increasing globalism and multiculturalism of contemporary society—and of the challenges that continue to persist in encountering, understanding, displaying, and writing about art. As Chapter 1 suggests, and as Dr. Robert Glass further illuminates later in this chapter, art history is not straightforward. It is fundamentally about narratives, or stories—and stories have story-tellers. These stories may be incomplete, uninformed, biased, self-serving, and they may change as new information and perspectives come to light. Art historians study objects, made of and with physical material, yet imbued by their creators and viewers with deeper purpose. These objects travel, change, and take on different meanings across cultures and times. These considerations, when applied to the Dogon figure, for example, illuminate the challenges of the study of art history, as well as the value in exploring them.

Historiography (Writing History)

Because of such changing stories and understandings of history, the process of studying and examining the writing of history can never be as objective or as accurate as one might wish. Historiography refers to the writing of history, that is, how we tell stories about the past. This textbook’s introduction emphasized the importance of including the historiography of art history in every chapter of this text.

Although it might seem like a complex word, historiography involves understanding why and how history—and art history—has been written, in order to better recognize constraints and cultural biases that might be present in our historical narratives. Sometimes these can be hard to see or decipher. By including these sections on historiography, this textbook aims to highlight and name some of the issues, discrepancies, and biases seen in art historical accounts of history.

Art Historical Periods and Naming

One of the things that art historians do, and a skill that you as a student of art history will practice, is identifying works of art—by title (or the name scholars have given it), medium (what it is made out of), date of creation, and art historical period. The chapters in this textbook are divided broadly by time and/or region, but within each are specific historical periods. Each chapter introduction points out when there are specific notes, issues, or discrepancies with naming that need to be highlighted.

One naming convention that you will see in this chapter, which pops up in the article “Art History & World Art History,” is the idea of “Western” vs. “non-Western” art. As Chapter 1 highlighted, and as the article in this chapter reinforces, the idea of distinguishing and dividing two identities by pitting them against one another as “Western” and “non-Western” is already problematic. It is always preferable, when referring to art, to be as specific as possible in naming the culture or region precisely, rather than labeling vaguely or in terms of what it is not.

Chapter Overview

This chapter introduces the discipline of art history and considers what art historians do, what is defined as art (or what is included in and excluded from the art historical canon), and how those ideas have changed over time. It acknowledges the subjectivity inherent in the discipline and considers the challenges of moving from a Eurocentric view of what is worth studying to one that is more global and inclusive. Finally, it addresses ways of approaching art: as a physical object (that may change over time), as a visual experience, and as a record of and window into a particular culture and time.

By the time you finish reading this chapter introducing art history and art historical analysis, you should be able to:

• Define “art” and “artifact”
• Discuss what art history is and the questions art historians ask
• Identify challenges specific to the discipline of art history
• Explain the value (and difficulty) of creating a more globally-oriented introduction to art history
• Describe different types of art historical analysis

Want to know more?

• The Art Assignment, “Why You Don’t Like Art History” [video]
• Ted-Ed, “How Art Can Help You Analyze” [video]
• Dr. Elizabeth Rodini, “A Brief History of the Art Museum”
• Dr. Jordana Moore Saggesei, "Identity Politics: From the Margins to the Mainstream"
• SFMoMA, “Fred Wilson’s Museum Interventions” [video]
• Inside Higher Ed, “Apology From Obama”
• Smarthistory, "The Reception of African Art in the West"