ZAMBIAN ART

ZAMBIAN ART

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1 .While the world is looking in another direction art flourishes in the country on a shoestring. The desire of artists in Zambia to create is so strong that they will use anything. From burlap sacks to car paint, even old bed sheets are often used in the place of canvases as the materials for art. Garbage and detritus are turned in works of art that are often staggering in their scope. The tradition of fine art, in the Western concept of the term, in Zambia goes back to colonial times and has been steadily growing

The history of Zambia contemporary art spans a period of fifty years from Independence in 1964 to the present. The earliest paintings in this country at that time were generally executed by settlers of British origin. And the first African painters originated from the war-torn Congo in the late ‘50s settling in Kitwe and Ndola. These Congolese painters, such as Dongala and Master Diouf were also skilled craftsmen, producing various items ranging from copperware to wooden and copper crafts. And most of the crafts and paintings produced by these artists were sold at strategic points along the main road. In those days Zambian artists exhibited their artworks in council libraries and other public and private spaces. The Zambian artists breathed a sigh of relief when Mpapa Gallery opened. It was the first commercial gallery in the whole country situated in ChaChaCha Road in central Lusaka.
2 .The history of Zambia contemporary art spans a period of fifty years from Independence in 1964 to the present. The earliest paintings in this country at that time were generally executed by settlers of British origin. And the first African painters originated from the war-torn Congo in the late ‘50s settling in Kitwe and Ndola. These Congolese painters, such as Dongala and Master Diouf were also skilled craftsmen, producing various items ranging from copperware to wooden and copper crafts. And most of the crafts and paintings produced by these artists were sold at strategic points along the main road. In those days Zambian artists exhibited their artworks in council libraries and other public and private spaces. The Zambian artists breathed a sigh of relief when Mpapa Gallery opened. It was the first commercial gallery in the whole country situated in ChaChaCha Road in central Lusaka.
3 .Later, The Lechwe Trust was founded by Cynthia Zukas. In 1986, she decided to support artists more substantially, and the Lechwe Trust was born. Their aim was to provide bursaries for artists who wished to study formally or attend art workshops and residencies. In addition, they decided to start a collection, ensuring an art legacy for Zambia. The collection houses works predominantly by Zambians, however there are works by those who have lived in Zambia or have a connection with the country. Now numbering over 200 pieces of art from paintings to sculpture, from etchings to sketches the legacy is one of which Zambians should be proud, and yet few know of its existence .Artists in Zambia are faced with particular, though assuredly not unique, challenges. Even today, materials such as oil paints, brushes, canvas still have to be imported from South Africa and this makes them prohibitively expensive. A lack of public library facilities and subject specific magazines means artists are deprived of learning from more established artists or feeling part of a wider international community. There is a more abstract and perhaps rarely articulated motivation also, a pride and desire to depict and explore Zambia using the visual medium. Through their work, Zambian artists exude a dignity and an understanding of the good and bad of their society. They question, they examine and sometimes judge; the conversation shows no signs of abating. Artists here just love art, they thirst after it and it is a crucial contribution to their sense of identity, their sense of purpose. Zambia’s history is full of talent and characters even if their exploits and accomplishments are not always well documented.
Two paintings from artists of two different generations: Henry Tayali (1943–1987) on the left and living artist Stary Mwaba on the right

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SOUTH AFRICAN ART

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1 .South Africa art form began to emerge at the end of the 18th Century focusing on the landscape and the people forged not only by the quality of light, but also by the crucible of history. There has been an ancient art heritage in the sub-region which can still be viewed and enjoyed in the natural galleries that have survived in the various mountain ranges in the country. While this tradition has had its influence on various artists, it is the English and Dutch painting traditions that have had a greater impact on artistic style. New global ideas and new themes have always found their followers in local artists. Many of the styles overlap and represent a fusion of cultural movements and an acceptance of a divergence of material culture. But within these movements and trends, South African artists have provided art with South African subject matter and character. South African art has always taken on the unique flavor of the country, from the 4 000-year-old cave paintings of the San Bushmen which is the richest collection of rock art.

2 .San Bushman rock painting in the Drakensberg range of mountains.

The San Bushmen, Africa's oldest hunter-gatherers, lived in the massive Drakensberg range of mountains from 4 000 years ago. Over that time, they created a vast body of art on the walls of caves and rock shelters which is the largest and most concentrated group of rock paintings in sub-Saharan Africa. This painting represents the spiritual life of the San people and is outstanding both in quality and diversity of subject.


3 .During the early colonial era, white South African artists tended to concentrate on what they saw as a "new world". Artists of that time such as Thomas Baines travelled the country recording its flora, fauna, people and landscapes. At the end of the 19th century, painters at that time began to establish a locally rooted art.

AFRICAN ART

AFRICAN ART
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1 ,African art paintings splendidly capture the surrounding wildlife found within the continent, the different village scenes from everyday chores, tragic events, calamities, and pulsating ceremonial feats. Indeed, these paintings are among the most colorfully psychedelic modes of artwork that makes a continent of different worlds known. African art paintings, among with the others that are differently themed, proved to be some of the most stirring masterpieces of the world. Holding only the purest heart that longs for freedom, African art paintings manifested more than what people wanted to know. They also impart thought provoking life puzzles for the world to ponder on.

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2 .In the pre-colonial period, such paintings were more subjected to abstraction as most African arts are. Way back in the pre-historic times, among the first traces of African art paintings were the images marked on rocks inside ancient cave settlements which were mostly characterized by human and animal forms. These rock paintings have played an utmost vital role in relaying the primitive life that African ancestors once led. The San, among the oldest South African tribes, were some of the first people to illustrate paintings that depict links between the world of the living and that of the spirits. Also known informing the group or the tribe of the divine message of the spirits. The painting or carving of messages is usually done after a trance-dance to fulfill the medicine man's duties of communicating with the spirits, and healing the sick. From monochromatic prehistoric paintings, the different tribes within Africa have discovered other materials that produce numerous distinct pigments. These have brought
out colorful and impressive paintings from the various ethnic groups. From rocks, these mediums are applied to other objects and surfaces as well, from textiles, to houses and even their own bodies.

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3 .Over time, the paintings not only served as artistic expressions but also some form of tribal communication of secret codes. In the middle of the eighteenth century, as the Ndebele people began using houses molded from mud, they also began painting symbols of different patterns on its walls. These meaningful symbols, only the Ndebele understood, demonstrated their cultural resistance and tribal continuity. These vibrant paintings were carried out by the women, who were known to be the tradition conveyors who passed the tradition from daughter to daughter.

                                                                                   

                                                                                                  

                                                                                   

                                                                             

                                                                                  

TINGATINGA ART

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Tingatinga Art is a unique style of painting which is commonly known as airport art. People will not see this type of African art anywhere else in the world. Tingatinga is a painting style that developed in the second half of the 20th century in the Oyster Bay area in Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) and later spread to most East Africa. Tingatinga paintings are one of the most widely represented forms of tourist oriented art in Tanzania, Kenya and neighboring countries. The genre is named after its founder, Tanzanian painter Edward Said Tingatinga. He was born in 1932 in a Namochelia village Eduardo Saidi Tingatinga was a self taught painter, with only 4 years of primary school education. He was just starting to receive recognition for his square board-paintings, when his life was cut short in 1972; he was mistaken for a fleeing thief and fatally shot by the police. Before he died he started to attracted young followers wanting to imitate his style. Today Tingatinga thrives. You will never see massed produced Tingatinga Art. Traditional Tingatinga African Art can be described as folk art or abstract art. Often painting the Maasai in their bright colored cloth. African artwork is truly a unique style of painting. No two paintings will ever be the same. Tingatinga paintings are traditionally made on Masonite, using several layers of bicycle paint, which makes for brilliant and highly saturated colors. Many elements of the style are related to requirements of the tourist-oriented market; for example, the paintings are usually small so they can be easily transported, and subjects are intended to appeal to the Europeans and Americans .In this sense, Tingatinga paintings can be considered a form of airport art. The drawings themselves can be described as both naïve and caricatural, and humor and sarcasm are often explicit. From the very first painting, Tingatinga art has used strong colors and simplified figures with distinguished contours. Over the years, however, the style has developed, becoming more elaborate and featuring several figures in each work.

KENYA ART

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.In Kenyan art, as in all African art, themes are based on the representation of daily life and African culture; and reveal the importance behind some of its most beautiful art. The common themes are: a couple, a woman and a child, a male with a weapon or animal, an outsider or "stranger”. Graphical art in Kenya is derived from rock art patterns, but also heavily influenced from the Swahili and Arab culture.

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2 . Kenyan painting has gradually developed incorporating traditional designs with modern technique. At the National Museum an independent trust, called the Kuona Trust, has been established to foster and encourage Kenyan artists. Kenya with its many art galleries has an invaluable artistic wealth.

3 . The Art of Kenya is full of life; artists express themselves in many ways through their works, and are allow this freedom of expression. Subjects vary from daily life in urban and rural settings, to still lives, to wildlife scenery, to abstract arts and traditional African settings, colors and patterns. Graphical art in Kenya has a much less defined history. There are certain traditions in design and representation derived from rock art patterns, but also considerable influence from the coast.

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TANZANIAN ART

CAMEROON ART