Details of Traditional Yoruba Art

Yoruba Art

Africa is a continent that is rich in tradition, history, and still maintains a sense of the mysterious. Throughout the centuries, its diverse and creative people have made some of the most unique and beautiful pieces of art the world has ever seen. Regardless of the medium chosen, African art depicts the fascinating culture from which it came. In the case of Yoruba art, this African tradition is continued and embraced. While staying true to the practices of their ancestors, artists today still make amazing examples of beadwork, sculpture, and textiles, as well as metalwork and woodcarving.

Yoruba art in its sculpture form began around the 12th century, as far as historians can tell. At this juncture the material of choice was terracotta clay. After a couple of hundred years the art form developed into magnificent bronze art that often depicted kings or gods. The Yoruba invented an ingenious way to create their molds for the sculpture using beeswax and clay. After the clay mold was filled with bronze and had hardened, the artist broke the clay from the bronze and finished his masterpiece. Over time, this form of Yoruba art continued to be perfected and resulted in some of the finest examples of ancient African life.

Most societies have traditional gender roles and the Yoruba people had their set, gender-specific roles as well. The women are responsible for crafting their stunning pottery. This tradition is still practiced in Yoruba life. Pottery is a thriving business industry as not all towns have access to clay, and those that don't purchase their pottery from neighboring villages. That makes the pottery a very lucrative form of traditional Yoruba art. Of course some of the pottery made has functional purposes, like cooking, storage, and eating vessels. Others are made for ceremonial purposes and are make in honor of the gods. The Yoruba women are also known for their well-crafted palm oil lamps.

While the women are responsible for the pottery, the men have the honor of producing the intricate beadwork that is such a large part of Yoruba art. The men craft items like cushions, sandals, and bags. Skins from antelope, sheep, and goats are the material of choice. Designs are often made to represent birds, flowers, and faces. In contemporary Yoruba art, the men also create the woodcarvings. Woodcarving is considered to be the most important art form. Most of the culture's sacred objects are carved from wood.

Both genders of Yoruba society take care of making the textiles. Over the years, several different types of looms have been invented to vary the texture and type of cloth produced. Cotton and wild silk are woven into beautiful, colorful cloth to be used for clothing and other needs. This Yoruba art form is dyed using the native plant indigo. The weavers are incredibly skilled at creating thousands of unique patterns in the same manner as their ancestors.

Modern Yoruba art can be described as a widely diverse art form. From the beadwork to the woodcarvings, the Yoruba people have crafted many works of art to reflect their life in Western Africa.

Mr. Moyo Ogundipe has a Bachelors of Arts degree in Fine Art from the University of Ife, Ile-Ife, Nigeria and a Master of Fine Art degree in Painting from The Hoffberger School of Painting, Maryland Institute College of Art, Baltimore, USA.

One of Africa's most celebrated and renowned modern Yoruba artists, Mr. Ogundipe has exhibited extensively in Africa, Europe and the USA. His paintings have been described as hypnotic, colorful and densely patterned.

In 1996, Mr. Ogundipe was awarded the Pollock-Krasner Fellowship. And in 2005 he was invited to become a member of Africobra, an organization founded in the 1960s and whose membership comprises of distinguished African-American artists.

Find and buy art online from Moyo Ogundipe at www.Maigida.com.