ID EXAM 2
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Metropolitan Community College, Omaha *
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108
Subject
Arts Humanities
Date
Dec 6, 2023
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Uploaded by ProfessorMagpie1657
IDENTIFICATION EXAM
NAME:
IMAGES (Write 1-2 paragraphs, use extra page if needed, CITE SOURCES, Thompson, 1983,
page number; Hartman, 2020). In the four lines write artist/culture
, title
, medium
, and date
:
1.)
Kongo culture/people, Kongo Cosmogram or Yowa Cross, Cosmogram, Before 1482
What does this sign mean? How does this image speak to the relationship between space,
performance, art, and spirituality in Africa and for the African Diaspora of the Americas (e.g.
name and describe the major spiritual, artistic, and creative practices associated with it)?
The Kongo Cosmogram, or the Yowa Cross, signifies the “everlasting continuity of all
righteous men and women” (Thompson, 1983, section two). The Yowa Cross essentially
represents human life, in four phases. These phases are based on the movement of the sun. The
major spiritual association that comes with the Yowa Cross is enlightenment and awakening.
There are many artistic expressions that are associated with the Yowa Cross, such as the circular
motion of the cross. This circular motion represents the motion of human souls. The “fork in the
road” represents the intersection between the ancestors and the living. The four disks, at the
points of the cross stand, represent the four moments of the sun (Thompson, 1983, section two).
The members of the Lemba society used the Yowa Cross for creative practices by having initiates
stand upon the cross, which was drawn on the ground, to represent a person who is “fully
capable of governing people…knew the nature of the world…and mastered the meaning of life
and death” (Thompson, 1983, section two).
2.)
Harmonia Rosales, Birth of Oshun, oil on linen, 2017
What does this artwork tell us about the history of art history, the aesthetics of the black Atlantic,
the spiritual traditions of the African Diaspora, and the shaping of modernity?
This piece of artwork tells us about the history of art history through the style of
Renaissance art. This piece of art also takes “traditional” historical narratives, reimagines them,
then reinterprets them. This piece tells us about the aesthetics of the black Atlantic by showing
the history of African culture and how different histories intertwine with each other. It also
represents those who crossed over the Atlantic Ocean, which is where the black Atlantic comes
from. Of course, African Diaspora traditions and symbolisms are represented in the piece as well,
such as Oshun, which is in the name of the artwork. Oshun is the goddess of sweet water, love,
and giving (Thompson, 1983, Introduction). This piece of art could be considered to be reversing
modernity by recreating a piece from the Renaissance period.
TERMS:
Ashé
“…spiritual command, the power-to-make-things-happen”
(Thompson, 1983, Section one). An
example of Ashe is when God came down to give the world Ashe.
Orisha(s)
“…the deities-the orisha- of the city-states of Oyo and Ketu…where the names of particular
goddesses and gods of the abiding fame”
(Thompson, 1983, Section one). Examples of these
orishas are Shàngó, Yemoja, Oshoosi, Orisha Oko, and Eyinle.
Nkisi
“…Strategic object in black Atlantic art, said to effect healing and other phenomena”
(Thompson, 1983, Section 2). An example of Nkisi is the first Nkisi, Funza. Funza originated in
God and came with a “great number of minkisi” (Thompson, 1983, Section two).
Veve
“…the celebrated blazons of the vodun goddesses and gods…”
(Thompson, 1983, Section three).
An example using Veve could be when these signatures are drawn, then erased by dancing feet.
Anaforuana/Nsibidi
“The sacred signs and signatures of Cuban Abakuá…”
(Thompson, 1983, Section five). While
there are many different signs, there is an example of hypnotic variants with four eyes, two
worlds, God the Father-the fish, the king-and the Efut princess who in death became his bride
(Thompson, 1983, Section five).
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Citations
Thompson, R. F. (1983).
Flash of the spirit: African and Afro-American art and philosophy
.
Random House.