African Art and Tall Slenderness
by
I was on a New York street corner waiting to cross, when I realized I was surrounded by tall and slender people. It was like a forest of vertical people, and guess what it reminded me of.
a) How short I was
b) My friend, Tony, who is tall
c) African Art
Well, today let’s just go with “c” — African sculptures in particular. With real-life appearances being not in favor, carvers prefered to go with vertical forms, elongated body parts, and tubular shapes derived from the cylindricalness of trees. The sculptures were supposed to contain powerful spirits, and would either bless or wreak havoc among the people. For example, the Seated Couple…
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