- Igbo art
Igbo art is any body of visual art originating from the
Igbo people . The Igbo produce a wide variety of art including traditional figures, masks, artifacts and textiles, plus works in metals such as bronze. Artworks form the Igbo have been found from as early as9th Century with the bronze artifacts found atIgbo Ukwu .Masks
Agbogho mmuo
Agbogho mmuo, or Maiden Spirit masquerades perform annually during the dry season in the Nri-Awka area of northern
Igboland . At these performances men dance as adolescent girls, miming and exaggerating the girls beauty and comportment. The performance is also accompanied by musicians who sing tributes to both real and spirit maidens. The following are examples of quotes that may be heard during a performance :Mmanwu si n’igwe: The masked spirit from the skyUdemu na lenu: My fame is potent
These masks exaggerate the ideal features Igbo people have for the smallness of a young girl’s features while the whiteness of her complexion which is a spirit color likened to “the purity of white chalk,” a substance used for ritually marking the body in both West Africa and the
African Diaspora . The white pigment also serves as a ground for the elaborate uli decorations painted on Igbo women’s skin. Some maiden spirit masks have elaboratecoiffeur s, embellished with representations of hair combs, and other objects, modeled after late19th Century ceremonial hairstyles. [ [http://www.carlos.emory.edu/helmet-mask Maiden Spirit (Agbogho Mmuo) Helmet Mask | Michael C. Carlos Museum ] ]Bronzes
Igbo Ukwu
Alice Apley says:"It is possible that the inhabitants of
Igbo Ukwu had a metalworking art that flourished as early as the ninth century (though this date remains controversial). Three sites have been excavated, revealing hundreds of ritual vessels and regalia castings of bronze or leaded bronze that are among the most inventive and technically accomplished bronzes ever made. The people of Igbo-Ukwu, ancestors of present-dayIgbo , were the earliestsmithers of copper and its alloys in West Africa, working the metal through hammering, bending, twisting, and incising. They are likely among the earliest groups of West Africans to employ the lost-wax casting techniques in the production of bronze sculptures. Oddly, evidence suggests that their metalworking repertory was limited and Igbo smiths were not familiar with techniques such as raising, soldering, riveting, and wire making, though these techniques were used elsewhere on the continent.Body art
Uli
"Uli" is the name given to the traditional designs drawn by the
Igbo people ofNigeria ."Uli" drawings are strongly
line ar and lack perspective; they do, however, balance positive and negative space. Designs are frequently asymmetrical, and are often painted spontaneously. "Uli" generally is not sacred, apart from those images painted on the walls ofshrine s and created in conjunction with some community rituals.The drawing of "uli" was once practiced throughout most of
Igboland , although by 1970 it had lost much of its popularity, and was being kept alive by a handful of contemporary artists. It was usually practiced by women, who would decorate each other's bodies with darkdye s to prepare for village events, such asmarriage , title taking, andfuneral s; designs would sometimes be produced for the most important market days as well. Designs would last about a week. [http://africa.si.edu/exhibits/uli.htm]References
External links
* [http://mccoy.lib.siu.edu/jmccall/jones/ GI Jones Photographic Archive of southeastern Nigeria]
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