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Traditional Forms of Ife Art When one considered the sheer breadth and needs. size of the African continent it is easy to see why so many unique and diverse forms of Among the more unique pieces of Ife art, are art originated there. Ancient, as well as the huge monoliths created for what appears modern black artists of Africa rely heavily to have been ceremonial purposes. These on the natural resources found in their homes enormous works of art are typically made from to produce their fascinating sculptures, granite or clay. Quartz with its jewel like textiles, and pottery. Like their appearance found its way into a wide surrounding neighbors, the Ife has long made assortment of religious pieces. Some experts excellent use of the materials graciously credit this use of unusual materials to the given to them by the environment. The result European influence in the region during the has been a long tradition of products of Ife period of the 12th through the 17th art  that  depicts  life  in  Western Africa. centuries. Wherever this influence may have come from, the result was a collection of Up to the present day Ife artists employ many stunning  examples  of  Ife  art. of the same artistic methods as their ancestors. Fortunately for them and the It is little wonder that a civilization as world, many of the ancient artifacts are well constructed and rich in tradition as the being used as blueprints for modern artists Ife people created such amazing art. Each and their influence is tremendous in the and every piece was and still is steeped the current  Ife  society. beliefs and values of their society. Ife art is a reflection of the diversity that is so Ife art is a diverse collection of many often seen in the many countries and regions different art forms. Ancient and modern of Africa. Ife art, since its ancient artists of this region alike often use terra contributions were discovered in the cotta clay, bronze, and granite in their archeological digs, has been a defining force work. Quartz is seen used to create in a greater appreciation of all of the art primarily religious pieces. The people who forms  this  area  has  to  offer. attend or who have attended Ife school are well schooled in making use of the resources Mr. Moyo Ogundipe has a Bachelors of Arts that  surround  their  beautiful  homeland. degree in Fine Art from the University of Ife, Ile-Ife, Nigeria and a Master of Fine Some of the traditional forms of Ife art are Art degree in Painting from The Hoffberger sculpture, statues, stools, and religious School of Painting, Maryland Institute items. In the case of the sculptures and College  of  Art,  Baltimore,  USA. statues many different approaches were used to achieve the desired effect. In some One of Africa's most celebrated and renowned cases, the sculptures represented kings and black artists, Mr. Ogundipe has exhibited deities and were considered to be very extensively in Africa, Europe and the USA. stylized in design. The busts that have been His paintings have been described as found are unique in the fact that almost all hypnotic,  colorful  and  densely  patterned. of them were sculpted to the correct scale. In other words, the heads were roughly the In 1996, Mr. Ogundipe was awarded the same size as the head of the model and were Pollock-Krasner Fellowship. And in 2005 he made to be a portrait of sorts. Animals are was invited to become a member of Africobra, another favorite subject in Ife art. Many an organization founded in the 1960s and statues and busts have been found that depict whose membership comprises of distinguished the African respect and dependence on the African-American artists. animal life of the region for their survival 1 A B C 48 49 50 51 52 53 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 93 94 95 96 97 98