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4.3.1: Supporting Images for Africa Cultures and Brief History

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    description
    Introduction to Fine Arts - Visual

    Woman Writing Book

     This page is under construction, but we are workin' on it. . .  (Public Domain ; Public Domain Pictures)

     

    description
    Introduction to Fine Arts - Visual

     

    Supporting Images for Africa Cultures and Brief History

    In this section, students are invited to explore the featured artwork from AfricaCultures and Brief History. It aims to enhance understanding through guiding questions that promote deeper reflection and critique of the piece's significance and meaning.

    The highlighted artwork from the text is paired with a supplemental image that offers an alternative perspective, showing how similar elements can be applied differently to create distinct moods or interpretations. By comparing the two works, students can see how choices in color temperature, compositional balance, or use of contrast alter the emotional impact and narrative of the piece, reinforcing the idea that artistic decisions are deliberate tools for communication rather than mere decoration.

    Each highlighted artwork is listed below with a supplemental image for comparison. Clicking on the image title will take you to the appendix to learn more about the piece and explore additional details. You can also navigate directly from the table of contents.

    Paintings at Akaham Ouan Elbered

    Paintings at Akaham Ouan Elbered
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Paintings at Akaham Ouan Elbered (Tassili n’Ajjer National Park, Algeria; photo: András Zboray, FJ Expeditions) via SmartHistory

    Running Horned Woman

    Running Horned Woman
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Running Horned Woman, 6,000-4,000 B.C.E., pigment on rock, Tassili n’Ajjer, Algeria via SmartHistory

    Head of staff

    Head of staff (detail)
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Head of staff (detail), Linguist Staff (Okyeame), 19th–early 20th century (Akan peoples, Asante, Ghana), gold foil, wood, nails, 156.5 x 14.6 x 5.7 cm (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)via SmartHistory

    Memorial Head (Ntiri)

    Memorial Head (Ntiri)
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Memorial Head (Ntiri), 17th century (?), Ghana, Adanse traditional area, Fomena, Akan peoples, 31.3 x 19 x 14.5 cm (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) via SmartHistory

    Gold weight: Geometric 

    Gold weight: Geometric
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Memorial Head (Ntiri), 17th century (?), Ghana, Adanse traditional area, Fomena, Akan peoples, 31.3 x 19 x 14.5 cm (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) via SmartHistory

    View of the Great Mosque of Djenné

    view of the Great Mosque of Djenné
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): A view of the Great Mosque of Djenné, Jenne-jeno, Mali, designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988 (photo: Marco Dormino Flickr [UN Photo], CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)via SmartHistory

    Shrine head

    Shrine head
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Shrine head, 12th–14th century (Yoruba, Nigeria), terracotta, 31.1 x 14.6 x 18.4 cm (Minneapolis Institute of Art)via SmartHistory

    Shell Vessel with Leopard from Igbo-Ukwu

    Shell Vessel with Leopard from Igbo-Ukwu
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Shell Vessel with Leopard from Igbo-Ukwu, Nigeria, c. 9th–11th century C.E., leaded bronze, 8 ⅛ inches (National Museum, Lagos, Nigeria) via SmartHistory

    Queen Mother Pendant Mask

    Queen Mother Pendant Mask
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Queen Mother Pendant Mask (Iyoba), 16th century (Edo peoples, Court of Benin, Nigeria), ivory, iron, copper, 23.8 x 12.7 x 8.3 cm (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; photo: Steven Zucker, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)via SmartHistory

    Head of an Oba

    Head of an Oba
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Mahabodhi Temple today, Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India (photo: manbartlett, CC BY 2.0) via SmartHistory

    Bet Giyorgis Church

    Bet Giyorgis Church
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Bet Giyorgis Church, Lalibela, Ethiopia, c. 1220 (photo: Henrik Berger Jørgensen, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)via SmartHistory

    Painted wooden lion’s head, Early Coptic period

    Painted wooden lion’s head, Early Coptic period
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Painted wooden lion’s head, Early Coptic period, 7th-10th centuries, from Qasr Ibrim, Nubia, 22.5 x 1.5 cm (© The Trustees of the British Museum) via SmartHistory

    Coptic Ostrakon, Early Islamic Period

    Coptic ostrakon, Early Islamic period
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Coptic ostrakon, Early Islamic period, perhaps 7th or 8th century, possibly from Thebes, Egypt, 13.2 x 10 cm (© The Trustees of the British Museum) via SmartHistory

    Jar, late 3rd–4th century

    Jar, late 3rd–4th century
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Jar, late 3rd–4th century, ceramic, 11.8 cm high, Kingdom of Aksum (© Trustees of the British Museum) via SmartHistory

    Conical Tower, Great Zimbabwe 

    Conical Tower, Great Zimbabwe
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Conical Tower, Great Zimbabwe (photo: amanderson2, CC BY 2.0)via SmartHistory

    Power figure (Nkisi nkondi)

    Power figure (Nkisi nkondi)
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Power figure (Nkisi nkondi), Kongo peoples (Democratic Republic of the Congo). c. late 19th century, wood and metal, 36 x 18 1/2 x 14 1/4″ / 16/8 x 47 x 36.2 cm (Detroit Institute of Arts) via SmartHistory

    Lidded Saltcellar

    Lidded Saltcellar
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Lidded Saltcellar, Sierra Leone, Sapi-Portuguese, 15th-16th century, ivory, 29.8 cm high (The Metropolitan Museum of Art)via SmartHistory

    Zlan of Belewale, Ceremonial Ladle

    Zlan of Belewale, Ceremonial Ladle
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Unknown artist, “Participation of women in work (…)”, Turkic text (Arabic script), book factory of the Central Publishing House of USSR Nations , 920s, print run: 2000 copies, 108.4×70 cm. (image: “Уголок Ленина,” Russian Perspectives on Islam) via SmartHistory

    Crucifix, 16th–17th century 

    Crucifix, 16th–17th century
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Crucifix, 16th–17th century (Kong Peoples, Democratic Republic of the Congo; Angola; Republic of the Congo), solid cast brass, 27.3 cm high (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)via SmartHistory

    Ritual Vessel (Aduno Koro)

    Ritual Vessel (Aduno Koro)
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Ritual Vessel (Aduno Koro): Horse, 16th–19th century, Mali, Dogon peoples, wood, 18.4 x 56.9 x 10.8 cm (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) via SmartHistory

    Seated Portuguese Male

    Seated Portuguese Male
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Seated Portuguese Male, 18th century, Nigeria, Court of Benin, Edo peoples, brass, 12.7 x 5.1 x 6 cm (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) via SmartHistory

    Takienta

    Takienta
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Takienta, mud tower-houses, Unesco via SmartHistory

    Figurative Harp (Domu)

    Figurative Harp (Domu)
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Figurative Harp (Domu), 19th-20th century, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mangbetu, wood, hide, twine, brass ring, 67.3 x 21.6 x 30.5 cm (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) via SmartHistory

    Barkcloth, 1930

    Barkcloth, 1930
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Barkcloth, 1930 (Baganda people), stenciled bark, 249 x 210 cm (© The Trustees of the British Museum, London) via SmartHistory

    Plaque: Equestrian Oba and Attendants

    Plaque: Equestrian Oba and Attendants
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Plaque: Equestrian Oba and Attendants, 1550-1680, Nigeria, Court of Benin, Edo peoples, brass, 49.5 x 41.9 x 11.4 cm (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) via SmartHistory

    Asante Kente Cloth

    Asante kente cloth
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Asante kente cloth, 20th century, silk and cotton (Vatican Museums) via SmartHistory

    Cloth, 1968 (Asante people)

    Cloth, 1968 (Asante people)
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Cloth, 1968 (Asante people), stamped and embroidered cotton, 221 x 140 cm (© The Trustees of the British Museum, London) via SmartHistory

    Mantle

    Mantle
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Martin Rakotoarimanana, Mantle (Lamba Mpanjakas), 1998, Madagascar, Antananarivo or Arivonimamo, Imerina village, silk, 274 x 178.1 cm (The Metropolitan Museum of Art) via SmartHistory

    Kabyle fibulae (brooches)

    Kabyle fibulae (brooches)
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Kabyle fibulae (brooches), late 19th–early 20th century, silver, enamel, and coral (The Newark Museum of Art) via SmartHistory

    Amazigh Ear Pendants

    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Amazigh ear pendants, early 20th century (Anti-Atlas Region, Morocco), silver alloy, enamel, glass, and carnelian, 34.4 x 20.3 x 2.9 cm (Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington, D.C.) via SmartHistory

    4.3.1: Supporting Images for Africa Cultures and Brief History is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by LueCrecy Ragan, Arkansas State University - Beebe.