What is Benin known for art?

What is Benin known for art?

Through the Benin punitive expedition of 1897, the first bronze works from Africa were recorded. The Benin bronze casters started creating bronze figures before the 13th century. The bronze works are known collectively as Benin art and an extraordinary example of African art.

What were artists of Benin Kingdom well known for?

They carved masks for ceremonies and they moulded sculptures of gods out of mud. In Benin City, craft workers were organised into groups known as guilds. There were guilds for wood carvers, ivory carvers, leather workers, blacksmiths and weavers. Most important of all was the brass casters’ guild.

What is Benin art culture?

Benin Art is also known as Court Art because it was discovered at the king’s palace and majorly produced for the court of the oba of Benin (the supreme ruler of Benin kingdom who ordered for a range of ceremonial objects). It is (Benin/Art) majorly composed of bronze, Ivory and wood.

What are Benin artifacts?

What are they? The ‘Benin Bronzes’ (made of brass and bronze) are a group of sculptures which include elaborately decorated cast plaques, commemorative heads, animal and human figures, items of royal regalia, and personal ornaments.

What is Benin art made of?

Primarily made of cast bronze and carved ivory, Benin art was produced mainly for the court of the Oba of Benin – a divine ruler for whom the craftsmen produced a range of ceremonially significant objects.

What type of art is practiced in ancient Benin Kingdom?

One of the greatest defining characteristics of the historic Kingdom of Benin, now the capital of Edo State, is the bronze casting tradition. Established in the 14th century by Oba Oguola and placed under the hereditary leadership of the IneN’Igun Eronmwon, the art of bronze casting helped the ancient kingdom…

What were the three categories of art in art Brut?

Art brut

  • Naïve art.
  • Graffiti art. Graffiti art as a term refers to images or text painted usually onto buildings, typically using spray paint.
  • Primitivism.
  • Outsider art.

What did Nek Chand do?

Nek Chand, in full Nek Chand Saini, (born December 15, 1924, Berian Kalan, Tehsil Shakargarh, India, British Empire [now in Punjab province, Pakistan]—died June 12, 2015, Chandigarh, India), Indian self-taught artist best known for transforming trash and debris into the Rock Garden of Chandigarh, an assemblage of …

Which art does Nek Chand represent and how?

Nek Chand, through his creation, the Rock Garden at Chandigarh, represents what is called outside art or outsider art’. This art is described as art of those who have ‘no right’ to be artists. This is because they have received no formal training, yet they show talent and artistic insight.

What is Benin/art?

Benin Art is also known as Court Art because it was discovered at the king’s palace and majorly produced for the court of the oba of Benin (the supreme ruler of Benin kingdom who ordered for a range of ceremonial objects). It is (Benin/Art) majorly composed of bronze, Ivory and wood.

How many statues are in the Kingdom of Benin?

There are an estimated 2,400 to 4,000 known objects including 300 bronze heads, 130 elephant tusks, and 850 relief plaques. The art of the Kingdom of Benin, not to be confused with the Republic of Benin, is most widely known for its bronze plaques.

What is the history of Benin Kingdom?

The Benin Kingdom situated in southcentral Nigeria dates to approximately 900 A.D. The first, or Ogiso, dynasty lasted until 1170, at which time Yoruba rule was imposed from the city of Ife. Oranmiyan, the son of the Oni (king) of Ife, was sent to Benin City where he wed a Benin woman.

What was the typical style of the Benin court?

This ivory saltcellar perfectly illustrates the typical style of the Benin court. We have four figures of the Portuguese, two more important gentlemen (bigger and represented frontally), and their two attendants, shown in profile. Hierarchy and status were crucial in the Benin art.