Please don't exactly believe all Wikipedia tells you, as I've seen western "experts" get it wrong, yet publish it till it's believed

In most yoruba statues, the faces resemble the bone structure of yoruba people

(wide cheekbones, short noses, tribal marks)

The stylizations are our mark, just as lack of Western Perspective is the mark of most Asian art.

tpia5:



[img]http://mathildasanthropologyblog.files./2008/04/nokboy.jpg[/img]

this nok sculpture, for example, has highly stylized facial proportions.

the chin and cheekbones are elongated, as are the nose, lips and eyes,which also follow the triangular pattern of the face.

tpia5:
@ bolded

naturalistic art is art which depicts objects as close as possible to their natural form.

in stylization, different parts may be exaggerated or minimized depending on emphasis.

with a few exceptions in some places, much of african art tends to be feature this stylization, which in some way serves as a conduit to the spiritual cosmos that is central to traditional african beliefs.

tpia1:
much of african art tends to be intensely stylized, with emphasis placed on certain anatomical features of the body, in contrast to the actual proportions. And vice versa.

My guess is such representations foster an esoteric interpretation on the part of the viewer and also help apply a specific focus on the context in which they're intended to apply.

tpia5:



[img]http://mathildasanthropologyblog.files./2008/04/nokboy.jpg[/img]

this nok sculpture, for example, has highly stylized facial proportions.

the chin and cheekbones are elongated, as are the nose, lips and eyes,which also follow the triangular pattern of the face.

Onegai:
Please don't exactly believe all Wikipedia tells you, as I've seen western "experts" get it wrong, yet publish it till it's believed.
I collect antique Nigerian art and try to do research on my buys, as well as being an artist. The stylizations are our mark, just as lack of Western Perspective is the mark of most Asian art.
The stylization was to give emphasis onto what we would now call the Focal point, of the piece. Please take a look at some of my pictures below to see this. This yoruba statue of a warrior and his horse, depicts the warrior as twice the size of the horse, because he is the focal point. In most yoruba statues, the faces resemble the bone structure of yoruba people (wide cheekbones, short noses, tribal marks). Same with Bini statues (I'll post my collection later). www.alizarene..com

amayodimeji:
...I so concur,but I will like to ask you this, are the striation (ethic mark) are the naturalistic or stylized?...

itstpia1:




in addition, nok art places emphasis on straight facial lines.

the jaw is clearly defined and almost always triangular.

not sure if this is supposed to depict eloquence or something else.

some nok sculptures also have an aura of calm, occasionally the figures are looking down and in a reflective (pensive) mood.

eg:




** not sure of the date for this terracotta**

Onegai:


It depends on the era and the origin. For the Bini ones, it was probably naturalistic because Bini people tended to value those markings as signs of beauty. They would use a broken edge of a calabash to scrape their skin. That motif is now replicated on modern traditional menswear/attire in Bini culture (by order of the Oba).

amayodimeji:
Actually, these stylized features are not synonymous to the Nok sculpture alone, I ve rrasons to believe that this art belong to Africa at large not just the Nok culture area...

amayodimeji:
...I so concur,but I will like to ask you this, are the striation (ethic mark) are the naturalistic or stylized?...