I really enjoyed listening to the lunchtime art lecture on African Art.
I feel that I learned a lot through this lecture, especially about the huge diversity of African Art. One of the quotes by the speaker that really stuck with me was when he remarked "I don't think that there really is an 'African Art'. Africa is so diverse that it is just ludicrous to imply that they might be the same." I like this quote because it entails that there should not be a specific standard for a type of art or even the art of a particular location because each person expresses their art differently. In fact, diversity in religion, language, environment, ethnicities, and more all contribute to the diversity of art, and for a place as diverse as Africa it is impossible to fit all African art into a single category. There is so many types of creativity in subjects, medium, and meaning which I think really makes African art special.
Another thing I found really interesting is the concept of Dikenga, which is a Congolese approach to the life cycle, from beginning to end. It as seen as more of a transition. Woodward even said that he once created an exhibition with a layout inspired by the Congolese Dikenga.
I still have some questions about how many Africans enjoy making conceptual art because I find it interesting how western standards for art are so different. At the VMFA I am excited to see if the differences in art beauty standards are apparent in different pieces.
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