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HOME :
African & Tribal Art :
Masterpieces of African Art : Zulu Wooden Sculpture of a Man
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Zulu Wooden Sculpture of a Man - PF.4537
Origin: Natal, South Africa
Circa: 19th
th
Century AD
to 20th
th
Century AD
Dimensions:
10" (25.4cm) high
x 4" (10.2cm) wide
Collection: African
Medium: Wood
£6,000.00
Location: UAE
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| Description |
Many African tribes have a tradition of wood
sculpture which goes back hundreds of years.
The Zulu are an exception, and when one of their
statues is found it is an exciting discovery. Why
some groups of people produce great quantity of
masks, for instance, and others, of similar
origins, produce none is a perplexing question.
This brings up the issue of artistic motivation. In
African cultures, most works of art are created
because of the demands of society - for dance
rituals, initiation ceremonies, or in some cases,
for propaganda purposes. When seeing an
extraordinary object such as this wooden
sculpture we must ask ourselves, did an artist
create this for his own satisfaction with no other
motive involved?
Pure abstraction and minimalism are the essence
of this remarkable piece. Yet, such terms are
Western points of reference and an African
sculptor is unlikely to have created this object
with the intention of wanting to make something
different from other artists. It is also unlikely that
he referred to works of the past to guide him in a
new direction. Innovation for its own sake is a
European/American phenomenon, and though
exciting in its own context, it would have little
meaning to an African artist. Rather, he worked
in a different direction, focusing on an idea
instead of attempting to redefine an image. The
Zulu artist carved the wood carefully in order to
discover something primal and deep within,
perhaps connecting within feelings set down by
oral tradition or the collected imagery of his
people. When the right moment was reached the
sculptor could go no farther; the object had
achieved its power and to remove one more
fragment would lessen its overall intensity. The
finished work is then something massive, which
reaches beyond its size to encompass indefinable
aspects that are indeed larger than life.
- (PF.4537)
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