Art & African Art: What's the Difference?

Art something that is created with imagination and skill meant to arouse an emotional response with its audience. Joyce Carol Oates had said that art provokes, disturbs and arouses emotions to expand sympathies.  The depiction of culture forms a very pivotal role in art forms – whichever country it comes from. This would include the social behaviour of the people and norms of the human society. 

Some of the popular artists that have remained famous include Leonardo Da Vinci, Edvard Munch, Michelangelo, Vincent Van Gogh, Rene Magritte, Claude Monet, Jan Vermeer and Jean Renoir.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWAa7EigJRs

The elements of art are very much inclusive of the physical compositions of the artwork such as colour, texture and contour; and form which includes visual design principles such as contrast, design, proportion, rhythm, proximity, harmony and balance.    

Good art engages with its audience –craft wise, context wise and content wise.

Conversely, accordingly to Marcel Duchamp art may be good, bad or indifferent; but whatever adjective is used, we must call it art. Bad art is still art, the same way that bad emotion is still emotion. J.D. Salinger once said that that an artists only concern is to shoot for some kind of perfectionism and on his own terms, not on anyone else’s.  

Bob Ross had once said that "If we Don't Make Mistakes, We Have Happy Accidents." How true and positive is that!      

Similarly, as we have different cultures Africa being such a diverse nation of its its has a different form of art which is known as 'African Art'. 

The world of contemporary African art is evolving rapidly -https://bnc.lt/gtCg/Rln0s4mI0T

Some of the popular African artists have been Jacob Lawrence, Tracey Rose, Meschac Gaba, Kudzanai Chiurai, Nástio Mosquito, Julie Mehretu and

Ibrahim El Salahi. 
 African art is mainly divided by North African Art, East African Art, West African and South African Art. Areas such as Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania, Democratic Republic of Congo, Botswana, Egypt, Central Africa, Dogon, Chad, Burkina Faso and many other regions which have their influence on Africa to just leave behind an impression for African Art. That is why it has been categorically divided as an art form independently.

So, now in 2019 where we live in such busy times where art has really given a new meaning to our lives. Images ignite powerful emotions – be it happiness or pain and it is in every right an escape from the world we live in. Many people do not even value the precious value that art has upon us until its gone, but then it's GONE! 

Our society in reality is very polarized and that is the reason behind all of this. We really need to appreciate more of the arts, rather than wanting MORE of the NON-ARTISTIC stuff. However, the world is not wired this way and we cannot control the logical mindset of humans.

Of course we can connect with people who appreciate art, but what does that do? It could me music, painting, literature, film or even passion for sculpture. Even when groups are established, at the end there is a loss of interest, but Who is left to Blame?