African Art and Architecture,

... African Art and Architecture, The history of art in Africa goes back to prehistoric times. Among the most ancient African art forms are the rock paintings and engravings from Tassili and Ennedi in the Sahara (6000 BC-1st century AD). Other examples of early art include the terracotta sculptures modelled by Nok artists in central Nigeria between 500 BC and AD 200, the decorative bronze works of Igbo Ukwu (9th-10th century AD), and the extraordinary bronze and terracotta sculptures from Ife (12th-15th century AD). These latter show such technical expertise and are so naturalistically rendered that they were originally, and quite erroneously, assumed to have been of Classical Greek inspiration. The rich artistic traditions of Africa continue today, both along traditional lines and in completely new modes of expression.The African continent is home to a wide variety of African cultures, each of which is characterized by its own language, traditions, and

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