African Artists

Wednesday, February 6th, 2008 at 3:58 pm

Oil Paintings of Africa â € "the majesty of Light and Color

European Early interpretations â € "A land without people?

The representation Africae € ™ s landscape and wildlife has an immense history. From cave paintings to mankind € ™ s oldest form of art practice, modern oil painting day I still search, experiment, and feel their way toward new avenues in the vibrant global art market. From elegant oil paintings of human figures, animals richly tones and subtle hints of architecture that blend so calmly with this dramatic land, continue to inspire admiration for the quality and sophistication.

The craft of oil painting was brought to Africa by white European explorers which chartered its way through the vast territory of Africa recording the wildlife and landscapes they discovered. Much of this documentation was in the name of science and natural history. Naturalists and artists were willing to represent the needs of the empire builders and governments who funded their trips. The paintings of landscapes oil this time often reflected an idealized vision of the continent, a paradise to discover, empty and free of its original inhabitants.

A traveler of the nineteenth century at the Cape of Good Hope, William Burchell, who was a prolific naturalist and an accomplished artist who characterized this school of thought. His landscape painting, â € œâ € Rivera Scene in the Gariep was so charming that, â € œIt drowns all uncomfortable feeling of minda €. This illustration shows the kind of pleasant landscape that Europeans of the time wanted to imagine that existed in Africa. These idyllic paintings continued into the twentieth century with the work of JH Pierneef, and the Everard Group. For most European artists who travel, people I saw were simply part of Africae € ™ s flora and fauna. At the end of the 19th century and early twentieth century, major European artists such as Picasso, began to study African motifs and techniques. This now called the â € € œAfricanâ phase, where Picasso produced many modern oil paintings depart from the conventional representations of aesthetics, thus taking her artwork to a more philosophical and emotional level.

Progressive Landscape Views - Beyond the colonial era

Attitudes towards black African artists and their use of oil in the landscape and wildlife paintings often punitive or criticized, there was a general desire to keep the native artist œtribalâ € â €. The experience of one of the first black landscape painters South Africa, John Mohl, demonstrates this:

â € œMohl was approached by a white admirer and advised not to concentrate on painting landscape, but to paint figures of his people in poverty and misery. Landscape, he advised, had become the field where Europeans had advanced far in the development of his painting. In response Mohl challenged this rhetoric and said: â € œBut I am from Africa, and when God made Africa, which also created beautiful landscapes for Africans to admire and paint.â €

Through paintings of landscapes Mohla € ™ s rural and urban areas expressed a challenge clear cultural. In painting landscapes Mohl triumphed imperial ideals and expectations of many Europeans had of indigenous artists in Africa. Although this ideology Europe may have been detrimental to the development of landscape painting oil in Africa, one common energy unites all African artists who choose landscape and wildlife as the subject of his artwork. No African artist whom he or she may be overlooked material, human side, the majesty and brilliance of creation.

Contemporary Oil Paintings â € "The Eternal Vista

Much has changed in Africa over the past century. Paint oil radiant landscapes, light, heat, life and the breathtaking beauty of this unique land and its wildlife will always be admired by those not lucky enough to live there. Just as people during the colonial era marvel at this ™ € REALMA s incredible wonders, so today people from distant lands also appreciate its splendor. At the turn of last century, the only image of Africa people could watch the beautiful wildlife and landscapes created by artists.

Today in contemporary Britain have many different media sources to experience the spectacle that is Africa. The Internet, TV, Video-on-Demand, DVD, interactive games, multimedia, the list goes on. Within this mÃ © lange of infinite images and interaction may be that the only true way to experience the grandeur is through the eyes of the artists who continue to paint scenes of infinite and eternal. Professionally produced and hand painted oil landscapes really can connect with the essence that is Africa. If you have visited Africa and followed in the footsteps of the first European artists, who no doubt have fond memories of that continent. However, to have a contemporary painting induces feelings and wonder far richer than the memories themselves.

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How were African American artist able to use their works to promote cultural awareness and social change?

The objectives of the New Black Movement that known as the Harlem Renaissance were to create a public platform to show the contributions of African American art and literature as opposed to racist stereotypes that prevailed at the time. How African American writers, poets, musicians and artists can use their works to promote cultural and social consciousness?

The emergence of the Harlem Renaissance during the 1920s and 1930s, African American literature flourished during the Renaissance Harlem. Best known for the emergence of the great literature of black writers, the Harlem Renaissance, also known as the New Black Movement, was the result of several factors. Before the Renaissance, thousands of blacks migrated from the south to northern industrial cities as more employment opportunities available during World War I. Moreover, black middle class was increasing and more educational opportunities available to blacks. More ... .. http://www.iniva.org/harlem/hren.html http://www.iniva.org/harlem/home.html http://www.math.buffalo.edu/ ~ sww / circle / Harlem - ren http://afroamhistory.about.com/cs/harlemrenaissance/a/harlemren.htm sites.html A Guide to Harlem Renaissance Materials http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/harlem/harlem.html

Interview with African Artist