South of the Sahara opens with general observations on the immensely
rich and diversified artistic heritage of sub-Saharan Africa.
Constantine Petridis examines the relationship between contemporary and
so-called traditional African arts, and presents examples showing that
many African works were originally part of an ensemble or one element of
a performance. He discusses how works relate to ideas about leadership
and the supernatural and then relates the many misunderstandings that
still exist concerning the history and the chronology of African art.
After
dissecting the complex issue of style, he concentrates on the
relationship between styles and both time and geography. Finally,
Petridis considers the little-known issue of African aesthetics,
investigating how the aesthetic preferences of the makers and users of
the works differ from those of the Western museum audience and art
lovers.
Forty-two important works from thirty different cultures are featured in
color, including objects from the ancient kingdom of Benin and examples
of two of Africa's oldest archaeological art traditions: Nok in Nigeria
and Djenne in Mali. Enriched with many field photographs and much
ethnographical information, this presentation emphasizes the
extraordinary formal invention and spiritual power of the objects.
