African art originated a long time ago, so long ago, that it has not even been recorded. African art has a lot to do with African culture. African art also influenced a lot of western art e.g. at the start of the 20th century artists like Picasso were inspired by abstract African sculptures.
One of the most common forms of African art was a mask. This was a traditional art. The masks were either of humans or animals. These masks were often used in ceremonies. Ivory, stone and semi precious gems were also included in masks along with other material. African masks were full of many different kinds of patterns and included many different colors. African art is very creative.
African art tends to often represent things. African artists tend to favor three-dimensional artworks over two-dimensional works. Even many African paintings or cloth works were meant to be experienced three-dimensionally. Lastly, and related to the previous point, African art tends to carry a meaning, a fact that can be very confusing to many Western observers. a single artwork. Multitude of uses,meanings, and social contexts can be contained in one single piece of work.
