HOW TO LOOK AT TRIBAL ART

The visual arts of Africa, Southeast Asia and Oceania can be judged fairly easily because of its often powerful appearance and the skill with which it is made. The message contained in the use of material, form and style leads to an aesthetic whole that is characteristic of the peoples in the mentioned areas and as such reveals / reveals the importance of these art objects. To gain a better understanding of what these areas have produced in fascinating art, it is wise to take the following into account.

Innovation and experience

The artists work with different materials and constantly incorporate new subjects and motifs in their expressions. Some of them work within visual forms of expression that are repeated over and over but still leave room for innovation and creativity.

Relationships

Within most tribal art, the proportions are based on their conceptual meaning rather than physical size. For example, the head of a human sculpture is often depicted the size of a quarter of the whole because in many communities the head is considered the seat of a person's destiny. This also allows more room for important, culturally defining details, which are enhanced by facial expression, hairstyle, jewelry or scarifications. In a group of figures, the largest are usually the most important. 

Gestures and expressions

The posture or facial expression of a sculpted figure is often indicative of its meaning and importance. Hands resting on the stomach may indicate the ability to produce children. Downcast eyes can express dignity and confidence and introspection, and attention to a world that is outside one's own world, while flaming eyes and an open mouth can radiate strength, aggression or a call to action.

Materials

Ivory, gold, silver, copper alloys (such as brass and bronze), coral, amber and glass beads are internationally recognized commodities. Their presence suggests wealth and they appear regularly on royal and power symbolizing objects. Materials such as iron ore and clay, which can be transformed by melting and heating, are used in a sacred and ritual context in addition to practical and domestic purposes, thereby doing justice to the character change of these materials.

Surface

The surface of an art object may have become slippery due to frequent touches or roughness due to traces of tools, paint or other added materials. A sticky-looking object may have been covered by offering sacrifices in a sacred place, the surface indicating ritual use. Objects densely covered with horn, porcupine spines, mud, and other materials can represent wilderness forces. In contrast, a figure with a serene appearance with a shiny surface can represent someone who is elegant, civilized and developed.

Color and pattern

Colors often represent important messages, but never assume that a particular color means the same to every nation. Patterns, which can also be different for each people, offer insight into the individual way of life and the specific, culturally determined aesthetics. 

Form and meaning

Due to their size and composition, art objects provide information related to religion, politics, everyday life, gender, fashion and a host of other topics. Sometimes these messages are portrayed or told through paintings, photographs and sculptures.

Spatial relationships

How does a work of art relate to its environment. Was it intended as an independent object or was it part of something else, for example as part of a palace or shrine. Carved wooden windows and doorways are very beautiful in their own right, but just imagine how they once interacted with larger structures or with people using them. Also think about how an artist used two-dimensional compositions such as a painting to represent a three-dimensional shape.