African Masks,

Cubism,

and Sahara Desert Rock Art

For many centuries, various cultures in Africa have used masks as a

form of communication to express ideas about nature, social organization,

and the spiritual world. Masks were at first used in tribal religious

celebrations and worn during ceremonial dances. They represented animal

gods that are found in stories. The dance would recreate a myth or act out

a legend. The art of making masks and wearing them at ritualistic

gatherings is still common in many areas of Africa. The materials people

use to make the masks reflect of the environment in which they live. The

masks go back to prehistoric times, but they are still made and used today.

It is known that masks were made and used in Africa from ancient

times because masks are depicted in prehistoric rock art. The Sahara

Desert has many examples of prehistoric rock art at several important

sites. One of these sites is the Tassili N' Ajjer Plateau near Tamrit and

Sefar. One important example of rock art shows a masked dancer at

Inaouanrhat, Tassili. This figure is beautiful and frightening at the same

time. The figure of the dancer is moving fast and appears violent. The
 2

height of this painting is 31 inches. The use of masks is thought to be

evidence that the people of the Sahara influenced the cultures of both the

Nile valley and West Africa, even though there is no stylistic similarity

between the masks in Tassili art and those of West Africa (Brown, 1998).

The masks of West Africa include those of the Congo, is a huge

African country in the middle of the rain forest, which is also known as

Zaire. African masks had a strong influence of the modern art form known

as Cubism. For example, Pablo Picasso’s Cubist painting “Les Demoiselles

d'Avignon”, a large painting that he made in 1907, was inspired by African

masks. This painting shows shattered images of fragmented women, making

the two-dimensional surface of the painting look like a three-dimensional

sculpture. The women from have their European faces by African masks.

Picasso said in an interview:

The masks weren't just like any other pieces of sculpture. Not
at all. They were magical objects, mediators . . . against
unknown, threatening spirits. They are weapons . . . .
They're tools. If we give a form, we become independent . . .
I understood why I was a painter. All alone in that awful
museum, with masks, dolls . . . dusty mannequins. “Les
Demoiselles d'Avignon” must have come to me that day, but not
because of the forms; because it was my first exorcism painting
-- yes absolutely. (Varnedoe, 1997)

Picasso visited the Anthropological Museum, where he viewed African

masks, before making this painting. A recent exhibit at the Saint Louis

Art Museum displayed masks from Central Africa. It included masterpieces

that were selected from the Royal Museum of Central Africa in Tervuren,

Belgium. The early works in this collection of African art were originally

taken from their homeland in the Congo by Belgian imperialists.

Africa produces art, and not just artifacts. Much of the

confusion as to how to judge African art lies in the fact that
art plays a fundamentally different role in African culture.
 3

In Europe and in America, paintings hang on the walls;

Africans, meanwhile, use art for ceremony and ritual. Art
plays a much more active, utilitarian role in African society.
. . . African art is figurative. Most of the works in the
exhibit are either in the form of masks or sculptures, and all
shape the human form into wonderfully strange exaggerations and
creatures. (Ekphrasis, 2000)

Art is important in traditional African culture, and artists are

highly respected people. The things they make are saved and used for a

long time. The African masks are not for disguises or games at parties.

They are an important part of history and ceremony. Many of the

traditional masks symbolize the spirits of animals and people; they are

called spirit masks. Sometimes masks are worn by dancers during

celebrations. Sometimes they are worn by chiefs and rulers when they make

laws, and sometimes they are worn by teachers when they tell young people

about their history and traditions (Solga, 1999). Most of the masks are

beautiful, since African artists place a high moral value on beauty:

African aesthetics generally has a moral basis, as indicated by

the fact that in many African languages the same word means
"beautiful" and "good." It is consistent with the use and
meaning of African art that it should be both beautiful and
good, because it is intended not only to please the eye but to
uphold moral values. The ethical and religious basis of
African art may explain why the principal subject is the human
figure; African art often appears in ritual contexts that deal
with the vital moral and spiritual concerns of the human
condition. (Ray, 1999)

Most African masks are carved from wood. Some of the designs are

carved right into the wood, like texture next to the mouth. Other designs

are painted on, like stripes. Each tribe uses a different style. For

example, the Boa peoples created masks with enormous saucer-shaped ears.

When worn in battle, these masks would make their owners powerful. The

Kongo peoples made masks that are painted ghostly white, looking both eerie
 4

and natural. These masks have crescent eyes and pointed teeth, and they

would be worn by the medicine man to help recover the soul at the moment of

death. Some tribes used large wooden masks in rituals involving the

induction into adulthood. For example, in the ceremonies of circumcision,

the masks were used to conjure spirits who serve symbolic and often

practical purposes.

Kakunga, a mammoth wood mask worn by the Suku peoples, evoked

protective spirits on the last day of the circumcision ritual.
With its overpowering, bulbous forehead, cavernous eyes, wild
hair, and snarling teeth, the mask conveys its purpose
immediately. Other face masks intermingle animal and human
characteristics, such as the chameleon-like Kuba mask, which
imbued its owner with the power of invisibility. Other forms,
such as the face mask by the Mbjana or Nybaka peoples, express
in concrete terms visions that can neither be seen nor heard.
Two intersecting red lines are tattooed on its forehead,
symbolizing the crossroads where spirits, having descended from
the netherworld, meet in the natural world. (Ekphrasis, 2000)

In 1993 the University of Virginia's Bayly Museum had an exhibition

of African art, including many masks, headdresses and sculptures, which

they scanned onto the Internet in 1999. This exhibition points out that

the African masks are not only for men, but also for women. For example,

in Sierre Leone and Liberia there are wood masks called Mende. that are

worn over the head of a female elder who dances for the Sande women's

society. The purpose of this mask is to display and celebrate the Mende

ideals of female beauty and virtue. The qualities of the feminine beauty

and virtue include long braided hair, a full body, good health, nobility,

intelligence, skill with cosmetics, and lowered eyes which show

thoughtfulness and restraint. The mask has these features exaggerated.

There is a bird figure perched on top of the head, which has many meanings.

The bird stands for clairvoyance, love, fertility, power, danger,

 5

discipline, prudence, and laughter. The mask is a shining black color to

indicate the essence of female beauty and moral purity (Ray, 1999).

In Liberia and the Ivory Coast (Cote d'Ivoire), the Wee masks of the

Dan people embody spirits of the forest who ask in dreams that masks be

made so they can appear to the people. The Dan divide their masks into

masculine and feminine types. The masculine mask, such as the bagle

grotesque mask that is made out of wood, fiber, metal, fur, and paint, has

square outlines, tubular eyes, and animal features. This mask is intended

to look powerful and frightening. The example in the exhibition at the

Bayly Museum has animal horns, a bulging forehead, tubular eyes, a gaping

mouth filled with teeth, a large beard, and a mustache. The bagle mask is

worn by a man who dances pantomimes to entertain the guests at festivities.

The dancer often uses the dancing and hand gestures to caricatures the

events of the day. The feminine type of mask has an oval face and narrow

slit-eyes, and it is also used by dancers who perform “at village festivals

and entertain the public with exquisite dancing, singing, and pantomimic

sketches” (Ray, 1999).

African masks display the elements of the African aesthetic. The

first element is the resemblance to a human being, which means that African

artists praise a carved figure by saying that it looks like a human being.

Artists do not usually depict specific people, actual animals, or the

actual form of invisible spirits. Instead, they try to portray ideas about

reality, whether they are spiritual or human, and they try to express their

ideas through human or animal images. African artists also place a high

value on luminosity. The surface of most African figural sculpture is

 6

lustrous and smooth. It is often decorated with decorative scarification,

or scratches, which indicates beautiful, shiny, healthy skin. Sculptures

with rough surfaces and deformities are intended to appear ugly and morally

flawed. The figures of humans are valued for composure, or being composed.

The good and moral person behaves in a measured and rational way, which

means that he or she is controlled, proud, dignified, and cool. A youthful

appearance is also valued because it indicates strength, power, fertility,

and the ability to work hard. Illness and deformity are rarely depicted

because they are signs of evil. Other important artistic elements are

clarity of form and detail, complexity of composition, balance and

symmetry, and a smooth finish. African artists place a high value on fine

workmanship and mastery of the medium (Vogel, 1986). It must be remembered

that the masks are not supposed to hang on the wall. The artists intended

for the people to see the dancers wearing the masks, moving and performing

and telling stories.

The Bayly Art Museum at the University of Virginia had another

exhibition in 1994, also with African masks. The catalog for this

exhibition says:

The African masks in this exhibition are dramatic portraits of

spirit beings, departed ancestors, and invisible powers of
social control. Each mask was made according to a traditional
style, and each was worn by a trained performer. The African
masks that hang on walls of Western art museums, detached from
their full-body costumes, were originally part of whole
performance ensembles, consisting of elaborately costumed
dancers, vibrant music, and highly stylized dances. These
complex ceremonial events expressed important social,
religious, and moral values for the whole community. With
careful attention to the masks' artistic and symbolic detail,
it is possible to perceive these same values within the masks
themselves. (Ray, 1996)

The influence of the African masks on the modern art of Cubism is

 7

important because it connects the modern artists to the three worlds of

nature, community, and spiritual life. Cubism changed the way the world

looked to the modern artist. It was an influential and revolutionary

movement in art. Pablo Picasso and Georges Braque fractured the visual

world in a sensuous and beautiful new art, but it was not really new.

Cubism drew on the ancient traditions of the African artists. Cubism

attempted to portray the three-dimensional world with a painting on a two-

dimensional canvas. The Cubist movement in painting became a major

influence on Western art.

The artists chose to break down the subjects they were painting
into a number of facets, showing several different aspects of
one object simultaneously. The work up to 1912 is known as
Analytical Cubism, concentrating on geometrical forms using
subdued colors. The second phase, known as Synthetic Cubism,
used more decorative shapes, stenciling, collage, and brighter
colors. It was then that artists such as Picasso and Braque
started to use pieces of cut-up newspaper in their paintings.
(Pioch, 1995)

Picasso studied Western art, but he chose to work more form the

African influence: “his own self-imposed apprenticeship was to less

civilized art: the pared-down geometry of Iberian sculpture and the

abrupt, unpredictable forms of African carving” (Wilkin, 1989). The

Iberian roots come from Spain, where Picasso was born and grew up. The

African roots, on the other hand, were is choice as an adult. Picasso

admired the works of the African mask makers, so he tried to imitate them.

Picasso’s 1907 painting “Les Demoiselles d'Avignon” is displayed in

the Museum of Modern Art, in New York City. It is considered both a

radical departure from the artistic ideas of the Western tradition, and the

most significant work in the development toward Cubism and modern Abstract

art. The influence of African sculpture is clearly seen “in its fragmented
 8

forms and unprecedented distortions” (“Cubism”, 2000). This painting is

more like a sculpture than a painting. The texture is equally important

with the color. It seems to have many sides, and not just one flat

surface. It also has many of the elements of African art. The figures

look like human beings. They are luminous and shiny, and they look

composed, dignified and youthful. The painting has clarity of form and

detail, complexity of composition, balance and symmetry, and smoothness of

finish.

African art has played an important role in the culture and history

of the world. Its distinctive characteristics and inspirations have

influenced many artists to adapt their own interpretation of the art in

their own time period. Characteristics of African art made their way into

many paintings in the Cubist period, among others. If one examines the

European artistic movement of Cubism, which was founded mainly by Pablo

Picasso, one can find many themes adapted from African art. During his

Cubist period, Picasso's works began to depict characters with oddly shaped

faces, looking similar to masks. These mask-like faces reflected his

interest in African sculpture. Picasso was interested in African art, as

were many other artists of the time. His interest in these pieces began to

appear in his work. The colors of Picasso's paintings were earth tones and

natural colors, which are also typical of African sculpture. Picasso also

painted wild animals such as bulls and horned creatures, similar to those

found in the African range. His interest in African sculpture can be seen

in his sculpture that is representative of African characters

traditionally made of wood and other natural materials. This interest in

 9

African art can be seen clearly in one of Picasso's most famous paintings,

“Les Demoiselles d’Avignon,” where some of the women in the painting appear

to be wearing masks (Andreae, 1996).

The most modern Western art comes form the ancient traditions of the

African masks, as depicted in Picasso’s Cubist painting. Thus, it can be

seen that African art has importance and meaning in many times and places

in the world and in history. It connects the artist and the audience with

the three worlds of nature, the community, and the spiritual life.
 10

References

Andreae, Christopher. (1996, April). "African Art: Its Beauty,

Form, and Function." Christian Science Monitor. SIRS Inc.

Brown, Haines. (1998, Dec. 10). “Images from World History: Archaic

northern Africa” www.hp.uab.edu/image_archive/ta/tad.html.

“Cubism.” (2000). The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, Columbia

University Press. www.learningnetwork.com/.

Ekphrasis. (2000, Feb. 17). “The Art! The Art! African Art.”

www.ekphrasis.net/congo.html.

Pioch, Nicolas. (1995, Dec. 31). “Picasso and Cubism.” WebMuseum.

www.southern.net/wm/paint/tl/20th/cubism.html.

Ray, Benjamin C. (1999, April 22). “African Art: Aesthetics and

Meaning.” Bayly Art Museum, University of Virginia, 1993.

www.lib.virginia.edu/dic/exhib/93.ray.aa/

Exhibition.html.

Ray, Benjamin C. (1996). The Art of the African Mask: Exhibition

Catalog. Bayly Art Museum, University of Virginia, February - August,

1994. cti.itc.virginia.edu/~bcr/

African_Mask.html.

Solga, Kim. (1999). “African Masks: 1890 and 1930.” KidsArt

History Corner on Imagination Station - African Masks from Zaire.

Cleveland Museum of Art; KidsArt Art Teaching Supplies, Mount Shasta, CA.

www.kidsart.com/IS/401.html.

Varnedoe, Kirk. (1997). “Picasso and Tribal Art.” The Museum of

 11

Modern Art, New York; WebMuseum,

www.tamu.edu/mocl/picasso/wpic/wcubism.html.

Vogel, Susan M. (1986). African Aesthetics. New York: Center for

African Art.

Wilkin, Karen. (1989). “O pioneers! Picasso and Braque 1907-1914”

From The New Criterion Vol. 8, No. 4, December 1989; Reprinted in The New

Criterion, www.newcriterion.com.