African Art Paintings and Other African Art

African art paintings have a long history from rock and cave paintings that are the oldest recorded works of art to present day oil paintings that allow modern African artists to really express their lives and those of the African people and the beauty of the continent itself from the desert to the abundant African forests.

African art paintings take many forms from elegant human figures, the capturing of the vast array of African wildlife with the spectacular landscape of Africa always in the background. This vibrancy and almost instinctive way of capturing Africa on canvas enthuses so many people and explains why so many people look to own their own African art paintings.

The most popular form of African painting is to use oil on canvas. This form of expression was brought to Africa by white Europeans who explored the vast African continent. The Europeans though however never truly captured the true Africa as they “idealized” Africa portraying it as an undiscovered Eden, empty and free of its original people. This was done to cater for the people who would eventually own these African art paintings namely the people back in Europe who funded these trips.

The Changing Views To African Art Paintings

This all started to change however at the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the twentieth century when important European artists including Picasso begun studying African motifs and techniques. This brought ethnic local African art to the fore.

This though didn’t mean African artists were respected on their own continent. Their use of oil in landscape and wildlife paintings was much criticized. The colonial masters wanted to keep the native artist “tribal”. They didn’t like to see the “locals” use the techniques of the more civilized Europeans.

This is not the case today as during the last century oil paintings of vibrant landscapes, the luminosity, the heat, the people and spectacular beauty of this unique continent and it’s pulsating wildlife has been admired by people not lucky enough to live there.

Africa is still an exciting continent to many who haven’t had the chance to visit this vast and diverse part of the globe. It is the cradle of civilization from which we as a people all sprang from. It is a continent that often beggars belief as the independence of many of the African nations brought only war and misery to countries of great beauty and people who are the mothers and fathers of us all. This misery and suffering though has led to inspiration and hope through art and painting.

Why Choose an African Art Painting?

Today you can experience Africa through many different medium from the internet, documentaries, DVD and other multimedia. They though don’t really capture the essence of Africa. The only true way to connect with the true Africa is through an African art painting where you get to see Africa through the eyes of the artist.

An African art painting can also allow those who have visited Africa to be able to more readily recalls memories if this wonderful and exotic continent. To own an African art painting is to experience Africa itself.