AKU - An African Journal of Contemporary Research (AAJCR) (Vol. 4 No. 4, 2023)
TRADITIONAL ART, MODERN AFRICAN ART AND AFRICAN MASKS: AN EXPRESSION OF GLOBAL SEARCH FOR THE ABSOLUTE
ABSTRACT
There is an apparent difference in the objective of creating artistic work. Artistic works, in general, are admired for their aesthetic values and their capacity to make human beings think. Gradually, people began to appreciate them because of the historical and lived experiences of people which they communicate. However, the African art called mask is unique in its capacity to elicit in human beings the desire for the Supreme Being. It expresses the spiritual consciousness, tradition and faith of a cultural group. The apparent difference in both forms of art is not only in the objective of producing them but particularly in the process of artistic creation and the lived experiences expressed through art. It is for this reason that I have chosen to examine Traditional art, modern art and African mask: An expression of the Global Search for the Absolute. My effort will consist in analyzing the meaning of the various forms of art mentioned and how they are connected to the spiritual experiences of the human person. I shall examine the impact of the displacement of African masks from their natural environment on the religious life of Africans.
