Stylized Figures

For the Fang of Africa in the late 19th century, reliquary guardian figures played an important role in ancestor worship. Stylized human figures made from wood protected Fang relic containers. Bieri, sculptors of the figures, designed them to be placed on the edge of a box of ancestral bones to protect the ancestral spirits. Emphasis is placed on the head, and a rhythmic development of forms implies restrained power. While the proportions of the body resemble an infant, the muscularity suggest an adult. It is believed that this combination of characteristics suggests the cycle of life, fitting for an art form connected with the cult of ancestors.
Similarly, the figures and bull of "Bull-leaping" from the fresco at the palace at Knossos (Crete) in the 15th century are stylized. Here the acrobatic maneuver and powerful charge of the bull are emphasized by the curving lines and animated faces. The sweeping lines of the bull enlarge to his great horns, as the beast, as well as the humans' elongated figures imply the elasticity of living and moving beings.

Sacred Space

In the 13^th century the Christian kingdom of Lalibela cut many churches out of Ethiopian bedrock. Due to the extended trade networks, Christianity and contemporary European architecture made it to the continent of Africa. The Beta Giorghis, or the Church of Saint George, reflects the shape of the Greek cross prevalent in Byzantine architecture, as well as the Ethiopian practice of cutting out structures from tufa, or any available bedrock. Inside are a carved dome and frescoes, which help relay Christian messages. In the same sense the Byzantine San Vitale in Ravenna, Italy uses a central plan church to display mosaics reflecting Christian stories as well as the power of the ruler Justinian. Although the simple crossing square plan of the Beta Giorghis contrasts with the complex radiating, leaf-like structure of San Vitale, each reflect the religious beliefs and practices of local cultures.

Gender Roles

In the Dogon carving of “Linked Man and Woman” the artist represents the primary gender roles of traditional African society in the 19^th century. The man carries a quiver on his back, just as the woman carries a child on her own back. The artist thus emphasizes the female role of nurturer and the male role of protector. They sit side by side with accentuated masculine and feminine features. The slightly taller man puts his arm around his woman and touches her breast in a protective gesture. Similarly on the Etruscan terracotta “Cerveteri Sarcophagus” a husband and wife recline together (uncommon in Greek symposiums) on a banquet couch, giving life to male and female relationships in the 6^th century BC. Here, however, the arm around the woman’s neck and her very placement next to him are representative of her relative freedoms in the Etruscan culture. Etruscan women did attend banquets, could keep their own names and could own property independent of their husbands. Both the African carving and the Etruscan sarcophagus represent the domestic relationships of men and women during their respective time periods.