A piece of interesting art is a sure way to make a statement with your home decor. It shows that you appreciate beautiful things and it becomes a talking point for anybody visiting you. Nowadays, a popular type of art to brighten up a home is African sculptures.
Africans have been creating sculptures for millennia. The variety of styles reflects the variety of cultures that call this continent home. Some pieces are realistic-looking animals, from elephants and hippos to giraffes and antelope. Others are deeply spiritual. Depictions of people can be true to life or they can be abstract, in a style that greatly influenced Western artists like Pablo Picasso.
Most sculptors in Africa work in wood. After all, wood is abundant, easy to carve and often free. Many artists choose only to polish the wood when the sculpture is complete, letting the material's natural colors and textures shine through. However, you may also find pieces that are painted in bright colors.
Clay is popular for its inexpensiveness too but a more durable material is stone. Highly skilled artists often work in harder stone like granite, serpentine or marble. Less expensive but a popular medium from Cape Town to Cairo is soapstone, because it is soft and easy to work with. You can find soapstone in many beautiful colors, from soft lavender or cream to dramatic black or red.
Traditionally, bone was readily available and was often used to create smaller carvings. The tusks of various animals provide a gorgeous cream-colored material to work with and for many centuries there was a roaring trade in carved elephant tusks. However, today there are laws governing the ivory trade and you should check the local regulations before investing in an ivory carving.
Something that is not widely known is that African sculptors have been working in metal since the Middle Ages. The great civilizations of Mapungubwe, the Niger Delta and Benin left behind beautiful cast-metal art in gold, bronze and copper, for instance. More recently, artists have also started working in steel, often welding the pieces rather than casting the metal into molds. Among the renowned contemporary sculptors who work in steel are the South Africans Edoardo Villa and Giovanni Schoeman and the Nigerian Sokari Douglas Camp.
These days, recycled materials are all the rage among Africa's sculptors. In any major city from Johannesburg to Lagos you'll find artists selling quirky and colorful depictions of birds, animals, household objects and people made of wire, beads, bottle tops, soda cans, old car tires or plastic bags. Some of these artists have become well known in the international art world, including Elias Sime from Ethiopia, Pascale Marthine Tayou from Cameroon, Patrick Mulondo from Uganda and El Anatsui from Ghana.
Buying art by an acclaimed African sculptor can be a sound financial investment. You will find investment pieces at art auctions or in galleries in many world cities, including those of Europe and the United States. However, you can also find inexpensive pieces at any African street market if you simply want art for the enjoyment of it.
Africans have been creating sculptures for millennia. The variety of styles reflects the variety of cultures that call this continent home. Some pieces are realistic-looking animals, from elephants and hippos to giraffes and antelope. Others are deeply spiritual. Depictions of people can be true to life or they can be abstract, in a style that greatly influenced Western artists like Pablo Picasso.
Most sculptors in Africa work in wood. After all, wood is abundant, easy to carve and often free. Many artists choose only to polish the wood when the sculpture is complete, letting the material's natural colors and textures shine through. However, you may also find pieces that are painted in bright colors.
Clay is popular for its inexpensiveness too but a more durable material is stone. Highly skilled artists often work in harder stone like granite, serpentine or marble. Less expensive but a popular medium from Cape Town to Cairo is soapstone, because it is soft and easy to work with. You can find soapstone in many beautiful colors, from soft lavender or cream to dramatic black or red.
Traditionally, bone was readily available and was often used to create smaller carvings. The tusks of various animals provide a gorgeous cream-colored material to work with and for many centuries there was a roaring trade in carved elephant tusks. However, today there are laws governing the ivory trade and you should check the local regulations before investing in an ivory carving.
Something that is not widely known is that African sculptors have been working in metal since the Middle Ages. The great civilizations of Mapungubwe, the Niger Delta and Benin left behind beautiful cast-metal art in gold, bronze and copper, for instance. More recently, artists have also started working in steel, often welding the pieces rather than casting the metal into molds. Among the renowned contemporary sculptors who work in steel are the South Africans Edoardo Villa and Giovanni Schoeman and the Nigerian Sokari Douglas Camp.
These days, recycled materials are all the rage among Africa's sculptors. In any major city from Johannesburg to Lagos you'll find artists selling quirky and colorful depictions of birds, animals, household objects and people made of wire, beads, bottle tops, soda cans, old car tires or plastic bags. Some of these artists have become well known in the international art world, including Elias Sime from Ethiopia, Pascale Marthine Tayou from Cameroon, Patrick Mulondo from Uganda and El Anatsui from Ghana.
Buying art by an acclaimed African sculptor can be a sound financial investment. You will find investment pieces at art auctions or in galleries in many world cities, including those of Europe and the United States. However, you can also find inexpensive pieces at any African street market if you simply want art for the enjoyment of it.
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Buy African sculptures via the Internet right now. Visit our online store to view our selection of sculptures at http://africanartgalleryenu.com today.
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