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This is the complete lecture note for FAA311 African Art History. You can read it online below, open it in the full viewer, or download the PDF for offline study. It pairs with the course's video lectures, so you can read and watch together.
Course code: FAA 311 Course title: African Art History Course credit load: 2 Units List of Series: Series 1: Foundations of African Art History Series 2: Cultural Production and Symbolic Icons Series 3: Iconographies and Interpretation of Forms Series 4: Historical Timelines and Anthropological Comparisons Series 5: Scrapbook Development and Documentation of Artworks Series 1 Foundations Of African Art History Series outline Part 1.1: Meaning, Scope and Sources of African Art History 6. Sub-Part 1.1.1: Defining African Art History 7. Sub-Part 1.1.2: Scope and Geographical Frame 8. Sub-Part 1.1.3: Sources and Methods for Studying African Art Part 1.2: Early African Art Traditions • Sub-Part 1.2.1: Southern African Rock Art Traditions • Sub-Part 1.2.2: The Blombos Stone and Early Material Expression • Sub-Part 1.2.3: Saharan Frescos and North African Traditions Part 1.3: Ancient Kingdoms and Artistic Traditions • Sub-Part 1.3.1: Pharaonic Egypt • Sub-Part 1.3.2: Nubian and Kushite Traditions and Meroe • Sub-Part 1.3.3: Axium and the Wider Historical Continuum
Introduction African art history is the study of artistic forms, objects, images, materials, practices, and their cultural and historical contexts across the African continent. It involves more than identifying objects as examples of African art. It asks how artworks were made, what they looked like, what they represented, how they were used, and what social values they carried within the communities and historical periods in which they existed. The course description presents African art through a chronological survey beginning with early rock art traditions in Southern Africa, including the Blombos Stone, moving through Saharan frescos and the art of pharaonic Egypt, and continuing to Nubian and Kushite traditions, Meroe, Axium, Bantu and Sudanese kingdoms and city-states in Africa south of the Sahara to about 1700 AD. The emphasis is on the stylistic progression of forms, symbolism, and the social value of artworks as metaphors bearing pan-continental identities. This Series establishes the foundations needed for the later study of cultural production, symbolic icons, iconographies, interpretation, historical timelines, anthropological comparisons, and scrapbook documentation. You will begin with the meaning and scope of African art history, then examine early African art traditions, before considering major ancient and early historical centres identified in the course content. Series Learning Outcomes Upon completing this Series, you should be able to: SLO 1.1 explain the meaning and scope of African art history, SLO 1.2 identify major sources and methods used in studying African art history, SLO 1.3 describe the significance of early African art traditions in a chronological framework, SLO 1.4 discuss selected artistic traditions associated with pharaonic Egypt, Nubian and Kushite kingdoms, Meroe, and Axium, and SLO 1.5 explain the importance of stylistic progression, symbolism, and social value in the study of African art history.
1.1 Meaning, Scope And Sources Of African Art History 1.1.1 Defining African art history African art history examines the development and significance of artistic forms within African historical and cultural settings. It considers objects and practices such as rock art, sculpture, painting, architecture, body-related forms, textiles, ceramics, metalwork, and other material expressions where relevant to the historical period being studied. The word “history” is important because artworks are connected to particular times, places, people, technologies, belief systems, economies, political structures, and social relationships. African art history therefore asks not only what an object looks like but also what circumstances produced it and what role it played. Fill in the blank: African art history examines artistic forms within their historical and __________ settings. Figure 1.1 Broad chronological map of African art history. 1.1.2 Scope and geographical frame The scope of this course is pan-continental. The prescribed content begins with rock art traditions in Southern Africa, moves to the Sahara and North Africa, and includes pharaonic Egypt and the traditions
of Nubia, the Kushite kingdom, Meroe, and Axium. It also extends to Bantu and Sudanese kingdoms and city-states in Africa south of the Sahara up to about 1700 AD. A pan-continental approach makes comparison possible while requiring care with regional differences. Africa is not a single cultural unit. Artistic forms developed within different environments, societies, languages, belief systems, political organisations, and historical circumstances. The course therefore uses a broad continental frame while examining specific traditions in their own contexts. Fill in the blank: The course adopts a __________-continental approach to the study of African art history. 1.1.3 Sources and methods for studying African art African art history can draw on several kinds of evidence. These include surviving artworks and archaeological materials, sites and monuments, stylistic analysis, historical records, inscriptions, oral traditions, material evidence, and comparisons with related cultural practices where appropriate. Different sources answer different questions and may provide different kinds of evidence. A careful student should distinguish what an artwork directly shows from what is inferred from context or supporting evidence. Dating, provenance, materials, technique, iconography, function, and social context can all contribute to interpretation. Where evidence is limited, conclusions should remain appropriately cautious. Fill in the blank: Archaeological materials, artworks, inscriptions, oral traditions, and historical records are examples of __________ used in art history. Pilot questions 1.1 1. Define African art history. 2. Why is historical context important when studying an artwork? 3. Identify two regions included in the course's pan-continental scope. 4. State three types of evidence that can support the study of African art history. 5. Why should students distinguish direct visual evidence from inference?
1.2 Early African Art Traditions 1.2.1 Southern African rock art traditions Rock art traditions are an important starting point for the chronological survey prescribed in FAA 311. Rock surfaces can preserve images and marks that provide evidence about early visual expression. Their study involves attention to the location of the images, the techniques used, the subjects represented, the physical surface, and the archaeological context. Rock art should not be treated merely as decoration. Images can be examined as evidence of how people used visual forms to represent, communicate, remember, or structure experiences. Interpretation must nevertheless be based on evidence because the original meanings of very early images may not be fully recoverable. Fill in the blank: In the course's chronological survey, the study of African art begins with rock art traditions in __________ Africa. 1.2.2 The Blombos Stone and early material expression The course content identifies the Blombos Stone among the early examples associated with Southern African traditions and gives a date of about 70,000 BC for the beginning of the chronological survey. The object is important in the course framework because it draws attention to early material expression and the capacity of humans to create, modify, and use objects in ways that carry visual or symbolic significance. When studying an early object such as the Blombos Stone, students should examine its material, markings or design features, archaeological context, estimated age, and the limits of what can be inferred from the evidence. Early material expression should be approached carefully rather than interpreted through assumptions about modern artistic categories. Fill in the blank: The course identifies the Blombos Stone as an example associated with early __________ expression. 1.2.3 Saharan frescos and North African traditions The course chronology moves from Southern African rock art to Saharan frescos and then to the art of pharaonic Egypt. Saharan frescos demonstrate the importance of wall-based visual expression within the historical survey and provide evidence for studying subjects, stylistic features, techniques, and changing environments.
The Sahara should be understood as part of the wider historical geography of Africa rather than as an isolated cultural zone. Its artistic evidence contributes to the study of movement, environmental change, social life, and visual representation across North Africa and the wider continent. Careful chronology helps students place such evidence in relation to other African traditions. Fill in the blank: The course chronology moves from Southern African rock art to __________ frescos and then to the art of pharaonic Egypt. Figure 1.2 Early African material and visual traditions. Pilot questions 1.2 1. Why is rock art important to the chronological study of African art? 2. Identify the early object named in the course content. 3. What approximate date does the course content give for the beginning of its chronological survey? 4. Identify two features that can be studied when examining early rock art. 5. Why should interpretations of very early images be made cautiously?
1.3 Ancient Kingdoms And Artistic Traditions 1.3.1 Pharaonic Egypt The art of pharaonic Egypt forms a major part of the course's North African historical survey. Egyptian artistic production can be studied through its forms, techniques, symbolism, architecture, sculpture, painting, and relationships with religious and political structures. A historical study of Egyptian art should pay attention to the ways artistic forms communicate ideas about authority, belief, death, kingship, social order, and identity. Stylistic conventions are also important because they show how artists worked within established visual systems while responding to particular historical contexts. Fill in the blank: The art of __________ Egypt forms a major part of the course's North African historical survey. 1.3.2 Nubian and Kushite traditions and Meroe The course content places Nubian traditions, the Kushite kingdom, and Meroe within the
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