Attribution Incomplete Notice
Collections and items in our institution have incomplete, inaccurate, and/or missing attribution. We are using this notice to clearly identify this material so that it can be updated, or corrected by communities of origin. Our institution is committed to collaboration and partnerships to address this problem of incorrect or missing attribution.
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Artwork Details
7-1/8 x 2 x 2 in.
Accession NumberGift of Mr. and Mrs. Harrison Eiteljorg
Copyright(Jacques Hautelet [1931-2014], CA) sold on June 8, 1983 to Harrison Eiteljorg [1903-1997] of Indianapolis; donated to the IMA 1989
There is considerable variation in the way the human body is represented in African art. There are hundreds of sculptured styles, in part, based on the tradition of a particular ethnic group or of an entire region. However, some general similarities are apparent in the way Africans approach human form in sculpture: a frontal orientation, a rigidity of posture without a shift of body weight, a formality of posture without casual gestures, and an idealization of the human form, particularly the face, without blemishes or wrinkles. These broad similarities contrast with much European art, which often has been naturalistic and illusionistic while African art generally has been abstract and symbolic.
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