A primer to symbolism in African art
African art is renowned for being both beautiful and meaningful. Because art has always been a primary means to express ideas and culture in African society, a proper understanding of symbolism is key to understanding African art and culture. One of the most readily apparent symbols that recurs in African art is the use of animals as symbols of particular ideas or emotions. Animals are a great place to start because they’re very easily noticeable to even the most casual of viewers and they still manage to hold strong and interesting connotations and descriptions.
One of the animals most readily called to mind when a person thinks of Africa is that of a lion. Lions, to most people, are associated with ideas such as courage and power. While this is certainly true in African art as well, it’s not quite that simple. African artists observed the lazy tendencies of male lions and felt that this greatly expanded upon the type of power that a lion possesses. Because lions are able to be so powerful while spending their day-to-day lives in a very casual manner, African artists felt that lions also symbolized pride, rightful authority and royalty, and strength and protection. However, another key concept of African culture and art is the concept of duality. Unlike many Western traditions, Africans do not favor the idea of good versus evil, but instead see each thing that exists in the universe as a duality of both positive and negative aspects. As a result, the lion can be associated as the benevolent, relaxed, but calmly powerful ruler, or as arrogant, lazy, or as a bully that uses his strength to enforce unreasonable demands.
To contrast with the complex symbols that surround the lion is the image of the leopard. The leopard holds a similar place in African art, but is a lot less of a hassle. Leopards are always associated with viciousness and aggression as well as the idea of courage. As a result, one could view a leopard as the active and angry side of a lion. Also, keep in mind the idea of duality! Seeing the image of a leopard in a work of African art may inspire the viewer to think of hostile and aggressive tendencies, but it could even represent bold, fearless courage; imagine using a leopard to represent how powerfully a mother wishes to protect their child, for instance. The leopard is a very distinct and powerful symbol in African art because it represents the most pure form of brutal force.
The third most common animal to be featured in African art is the elephant. One obvious reason for the elephant’s consistent use as a symbol is that it’s overwhelmingly noticeable and distinguishable from other pieces of the artwork. Additionally, elephants were historically used by some rulers of African nations as a means of transportation for the royalty. Partially because of this fact, the elephant often represents royalty or dignity. Because of the long age and careful attitude toward learning that an elephant depicts, elephants also often represent dignity, patience, and intellectualism. Duality can apply to an elephant by either showing a person who is cautious, considerate, and noble-spirited or a person who is lazy, pompous, or too preoccupied with scholarly pursuits to actually enjoy the real world. Generally speaking, the elephant is used in its positive aspect, where it can enjoy a unique status as a symbol of power through wisdom, in contrast to the strength of creatures such as the lion.
While African art is incredibly, almost frustratingly diverse in its use of images, patterns, and symbols, animals tend to hold to a fairly consistent set of emotions and associations. This makes them a great starting point for a viewer to understand the emotional context of a scene. Despite this, one must keep in mind the African idea of duality and remember that there is no such thing as pure good or evil in African ways of thought.
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