October is Europe’s #BlackHistoryMonth When the European first ✌🏻discovered✌🏻the art of the #Yoruba people, The heads of Ife ( Possibly made in 14th-15th Century C.E.) in modern day #Nigeria, like most West African “Bronzes” the pieces are made with copper ( the terra-cotta ones are also as magical.) they were mind blown at the level of realism, sophisticated craftsmanships used to create these elegant, naturalistic forms that rivaled their own Greco-Roman art they regarded as ✌🏻Classical✌🏻and the most sophisticated art in the history of the world, At the time, some of ‘em even went as far as saying that it’s impossible for Africans to have created such elegant art w so much sophistication, sensitivity to shapes and forms, and that these work must some how tied to long lost Atlantis because in their minds, all things sophisticated and refined have to have European influences, connections. 🤷🏽‍♂️ Portraiture in African Art is quite rare as most are highly stylized, got labeled “ Tribal” and primitive by the Europeans ( tho those are the Very art that inspired the most famous European modern art, the line between “ Modern” and “ Primitive” can be so blurry, when it’s done by Europeans, it’s “ modern”, New.) 🖼 🎨 👨🏻‍🎨 I’ve visited some of these majestic beauties in museums in Europe, these heads look so alive and soulful, as their culture believe that the head is the seat of the soul, you see the serenity in their stare, the fleshy shapes of the cheeks, the extremely symmetrical vertical markings along the face, the slightly parted lips, as if they about to speak to you, Art studies in school, colleges, still pretty much taught through the European lens ( as if they invented fine art) The very roots of diversity in image making start from what they teach you in school about which art and culture is supreme. Art is subjective, and so as “ Best”, if you ask me what is my favorite “classical” art ( with a bit of bias.) I’d say it’s the ancient Khmer art from my part of the world, but as artists, it’s always best to have much wider, more diverse view of the world for unlimited inspirations. #Beauty #WorldArt #ArtOfTheWorld #AfricanArt #WestAfrica #Ife