Halitta Art

1. Early Encounters - African Art reaches European Modernism

In the early 1900s, artists from Europe were exposed to African art via colonial exhibitions

and collections. The vibrant, expressive forms of African sculptures, masks, and textiles

presented an evident contrast to the rigid conventions of Western classical art. This encounter

was especially impactful in Paris, where artists like Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and

Georges Braque found inspiration in African artistic traditions.

There is a very famous example which is Picasso’s innovatory  ̈Les Demoiselles d’Avignon

 ̈(1907), where the influence of African masks is evident in the distorted, angular faces of the

figures. The stylized and abstract elements of African art inspired Western artists to

disengage from traditional realistic depictions and explore abstraction, which became central

to the Cubist movement and the development of modernism.

2. African Art and the Rise of Abstraction

As Western artists started exploring abstraction, African art played a crucial role in shifting

artistic thinking. African art often highlighted symbolic meaning, abstraction and spirituality,

different from the Western tradition which was focused in perspective and realism. The way

of using flat surfaces, geometric shapes and distorted figures challenged Western conventions

of visual representation.

Artists such as Henri Matisse and Amedeo Modigliani included African inspired forms into

their artworks. For example Matisse’s use of vivid color and bold, simplified lines in pieces

such as  ̈The Blue Nude ̈ (1907) can be seen as an inclination towards the influence of

African art, particularly the expressive shapes found in African sculptures. The focus on

abstraction and emotional depth in African art influenced artists of the Western world to

explore new ways of visualizing the world, paving the way for movements such as

Surrealism and Expressionism.

3. Contemporary Art - African Influences Nowadays

The association between African and Western art is still evolving in the 21st century.

Contemporary Western artists continue to be involved with African art, in terms of aesthetics

but as well in exploring historical and cultural narratives. African artists also have

progressively gained recognition on the global stage, influencing and collaborating with their

Western peers.