African art at the de Young Museum

After the brief art "tour" of ancient Mexico and the African American south, it was time to visit the galleries containing the collections from the African continent. What struck me in the art pieces here is the sense of calm amid the dynamism in them... I didn't feel the anger and the confusion that emanated from African American pieces. Perhaps it's because I was looking at modern art by African Americans and at what could be considered as antiques in the African collection.

The tiny pieces seemed to depict everyday activities in West Africa (these came from Ghana, if my memory serves me well). I have to admit, however, that these are not as pretty as the pieces that we received for Christmas, also from West Africa. There is a common aspect, though: the human-like figures were elongated. I'm not sure what that means yet. I think I need to dig a bit deeper into the symbolism used by the artisans.

A relief figure on a plate has a lot of intricate details on its body. It reminded me of the tattoo traditions practised in the Cordilleras. This fascinated me because it suggests that the culture I grew up in might have similarities to the culture to which this figure is attributed to. Aside from the body art, I noticed that there's a mark between the nose and the forehead. It reminded me of the Africans I've seen who have grooves on their faces. According to Val, their facial marks are scars that allow people to show that they belong to certain tribes. 

There were pieces that I'm quite sure have more symbolism than realism, such as this pot with an intricate lid sculpture. To me, the central figures almost look like mermen, with the gill-like features on the cheeks, the reptile-like head, and the fin-like hands.

I am also not sure what this sculpture is depicting. What is obvious to me is that this is a woman carrying things on either arm (I haven't decided if these are books or smaller statues).

And then, this figure appears to be of a mother and her children. It appears to show that the mother is a very powerful character in the home, strongly influencing her children's behaviour. In this case, the two kids appear to be carrying containers... indicative that they are doing chores. They look like they are enjoying the chores assigned by their mother; this suggests that the discipline applied by the mom is appreciated by the children. Trust me, I wasn't this happy when my mom used to bug me to do my share of the household chores back in the day.

I found the pieces in the African art collection to have a strong sense of identity, a quiet sense of confidence and self-assuredness, and a signature style of artistry. The symbolism might take a serious viewer deeper into thought about the artwork itself but for a casual museum hopper like me, I gained some sense of the roots of the African diaspora and the tip of the iceberg about contemporary African identity.