found on page 429
Chapter 16 African Art
Crowned Head of a Ruler
From Ife, Yoruba culture
date 12th - 15th century CE
Bronze
approximately 10" high
Private Collection
DUE: WK 7 > TH MAR 14 - hardcopy
Throughout the semester, each student will write two analytical research papers that introduce, describe and compare a work of art selected from our textbook.
Exceed objectives & expectations
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Meets expectations
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Meets some expectations
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Does not meet expectations or unable to score
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Areas of Assessment:
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A 10 points
A- 9
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B+8
B-7
B-6
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C+5
C 4
C-3
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D+ 2
D 1
F 0
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Full details of object’s cultural significance and
Material exploration and information > 10%
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Thoroughly describe Formal Element / Principle of Design and how it is operating.
BALANCE. #1 > 20%
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Thoroughly describe Formal Element / Principle of Design and how it is operating #2 LINE. > 20%
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Thoroughly describe Formal Element / Principle of Design and how it is operating
#3 RHYTHM & TEXTURE. > 20%
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Thoroughly describe Formal Element / Principle of Design and how it is operating
#4 VOLUME, MASS & COLOR > 20%
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Mechanics of Writing 10%
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Comments:
Your essay should be well developed, thoughtful and analytical in nature.
Your essay should include an analytical comparative to an additional found drawing.
Your essay should be 1,000 words
Your essay should bring in excellent descriptive support of how the elements are operating in your selected particular works of art.
NOTE: In-text citations: Author-page style. MLA format follows the author-page method of in-text citation. This means that the author's last name and the page number(s) from which the quotation or paraphrase is taken must appear in the text, and a complete reference should appear on your Works Cited page.
The composition of all essays:
- Include an image of the artwork that may be found on page 428 in your text.
- Introduce the work of art, noting cultural influences and time period it arose from, the artist, title, date, medium, dimensions, location, what was it used for? Where would have it been located?
- Any other pertinent information surrounding the specific work
- How has this work been made? Explain specifics, please.
- The bulk of the paper should be a well-formed analytical essay describing the pertinent elements and principles of design the artist/designer is using in the specific work of art. Please return to our introductory notes on the class blog to note all the elements and principles of design.
- Each element/principle should be thoroughly described analyzing how the artist has made use of each of them in the work of art. Each element/principle should be described at a minimum of two paragraphs. Make sure you speak about the following elements:
1. Balance
2. Line
3. Rhythm and texture
4. Volume/mass, color
7. Write a paragraph for the conclusion to bring your essay to completion.
ESSAY # 1 / 2 Standards for grading
Double spaced -- 800-word minimum
Essay contains accomplishment in four areas:
A Quality = Surpasses Standards. A stellar performance
B Quality = Occasionally meets standards appropriately, a good performance
C Quality =. Approaches and meets some standards
D Quality = Meets some standards, however, not near enough to meet them adequately
F Quality = Does not meet the standards
ESSAY # 1 / 2 Standards for grading descriptions
Double spaced -- 800-word minimum
Double spaced -- 800-word minimum
1. 80% of overall grade goes towards content and description of how the formal elements are operating. The essay is well developed, thoughtful and analytical in nature. Essay brings in excellent descriptive support of how the elements are operating in this particular work of art. (Each element will receive approximately 20% = 4 x 20 = 80%)
Make sure you speak about the following elements:
1. Balance2. Line
3. Rhythm and texture
4. Volume/mass, color
2. 10% of overall grade goes towards the information provided of the cultural significance, symbolism in the work of art, technique, and application of materials to create the work. Your paper includes a properly cited bibliographic sources.
3. 10% of overall grade towards the essay's mechanics of writing. The essay's structure is well organized, transitions are smooth, grammar is excellent, and includes the addition of image with proper labeling. The essay is coherent and illustrates technical control by the author.
Essay contains accomplishment in four areas of grading:
A Quality = Surpasses Standards. A stellar performance
B Quality = Occasionally meets standards appropriately, a good performance
C Quality =. Approaches and meets some standards
D Quality = Meets some standards, however, not near enough to meet them adequately
F Quality = Does not meet the standards / unable to grade
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Student Work
Analytical Research Paper 1
The Yoruba culture can be traced back to 800 CE in present-day Nigeria, but their most notable art pieces of sculpted heads were created between 1050 CE and 1400 CE. An example of these beautifully sculpted heads is the Crown Head of a Ruler, from their sacred city of Ife. The head was created in bronze between the 12th and 15th century CE. It is standing at just under ten inches in a private collection. Only important people in their society were worthy of a bronzed head sculpture. Each head looks similar because they only showed the individual’s most ideal self with moral character, so all the head found look roughly the same age. These pieces were representational of a person, but not necessarily individualized (Stokstad). The Crown Head of a Ruler, demonstrates the important aspects in the Yoruba culture shown through its elements of balance, line, texture, volume, and color.
Another significant aspect of this piece that displays the Yoruba culture is the creation process, called lost-wax casting. The metal caster begins by scoring the sculpture in wax with a clay base on the inside to make the finish product hollow. Another layer of clay is applied on the outside and placed in the sand. The wax is replaced by a molten metal, like bronze with alloy of copper and tin or brass with alloy of copper and zinc. Once it hardens it is broken away from the outer clay layer. The metal caster adds details and polishes the finished piece (Stokstad). This process ensures that each piece is unique and could not be repeated because the mold has been destroyed.
One element that is evident in this piece is the element of balance because of its symmetry, and color. The Crown Head of a Ruler is vertically symmetrical over the y axis, which enhances the idealization of humans, because no human has a perfectly symmetrical face. Each facial feature is proportional to each other to create balance and a sense of perfection. The polished ideal piece makes it difficult for the viewer to distinguish whether the subject was male or female. The color is the same across the piece which creates harmony because the color is not drawing the viewer’s eyes to one specific spot. However, the head piece placed on the head draws the most attention because the circle shape draws the viewer’s eyes to it first. These head pieces were used to signify importance and power in their society. Sometimes coral beads were placed on the head to symbolized the oba’s authority and power.
As stated earlier, the color creates a balance, because no one color is drawing the viewers’ attention away from the rest of the piece. The material of the statue is made out of, bronze, which creates a monochromic color. Monochromic color means a piece is consistent of a single color. Patina, a typically green or brown layer, is on the bronze surface due to oxidation over an extended period of time.
The elements of texture and rhythm go hand in hand with the element of lines. A line can be interpreted as a physical mark the viewer sees or an implied direction in space. This sculpture physically has lines down its face. These parallel lines represent the scarification the Yoruba citizens had on their faces to individualize and show physical importance in the community. These lines create the element of texture, which is the quality of a surface. This also can be physically textured with bumps and ridges or visually has implied texture. For the most part this head piece is ridged and does not have a continuous smooth surface, except for the neck. The neck is smooth with soft lines to suggest neck rolls. This is the first aspect of the piece that seems to have the most human-like qualities. These scarification lines travel down the face and around the chin in a parallel movement; this creates the element of rhythm, when an element is used to establish an organized movement. This rhythm on the face generates a soft slow movement down the face.
The last element in this head piece is volume and mass, the three dimensional space a form takes up. Through the lost-wax casting process, the sculpture is purposely created to be hollow. For one the material of bronze is a heavy substance in weight, therefore making it difficult to move. The heads are also hollow so the heads can be placed on poles and even dressed up with fabric for spiritual rituals. The bronze was chosen because of its strength, which is just another element to signify the individual’s importance in society.
The Yoruba society demonstrated through its arts which citizens were the most relevant and essential in their community. In the head sculptures it is shown through the elements of balance, color, line, texture, rhythm, and volume and the process in their design that these individuals were significant. Even though the process was lengthy and took a special creator, it was important to their society to have their rulers sculpted. The balance and color is even throughout except the head piece calls the viewer’s attention the most, because the head piece was only worn by rulers. The lines, texture, and rhythm adds to the balance by creating symmetry. This symmetry signifies the idea of the idealization of an individual, and not necessarily personalized. Lastly the volume of the bronze is symbolism of strength, a crucial part of being a leader in any community. These elements carry the message that the individuals portrayed in the sculptures have authority and power in their society.
Crown Head of a Ruler, From Ife, Yoruba Culture
12th – 15th century
12th – 15th century
Bronze
10”
Private Collection
Work Cited
Stokstad, Marilyn, and Michael W Cothren. “Chapter 16 African Art.” Art A Brief History, Pearson, 2016, pp. 428–431.