Latin American Masks

Latin American Masks

The very distinctive style of masks began to emerge in pre – Hispanic America about 1200 BC, although it has been found that many masks were made at a far earlier time (though not as distinctive as these). In the Andes the masks were used to cover the faces of the dead. These masks were made of fabric but as time moved on they become made of copper or gold, also clay but this was a lot rarer. For the Aztecs, human skulls were seen as trophies of war and were well sort after, this made skull masks quite common place. Masks were also used as a form of entertainment that might have had religious and political ties as well.

Traditions in postcolonial Latin America merged with Christian rituals, masquerades and ceremonies, such as all souls, which mixed with day of the dead. This mixture was not liked by the church who had tried to stamp out all indigenous traditions. To this day, masks remain an important feature of popular carnivals and religious dances, such as the dance of the moors and Christians.  Mexico still produces a wide variety of masks with creativity in mind, for collectors and carnival.

Faces of spirits

Faces of spirits

Making the spirits Visible

The African tribes of the Bwa and Nuna live in the dry savannah land of central Burkina Faso. The Bwa and Nuna seek the help of powerful spirits, who live in the wild forests, bush and country surrounding their villages. They try to control these forces and enlist their help, to battle the forces of destruction, The Bwa and the Nuna make masks that make these spirits visible, they use them to get in contact with these spirits and put them in touch with the people.  The Nuna masks depict the nature spirits; these are all the powerful animals like the hawk, buffalo and crocodile, which live in the surrounding areas. Either a family or a clan owns these masks; they use them to enlist the help of the spirits.

These masks are used in dancing rituals, this happens during market days and at funerals or initiation ceremonies, so they may honor the spirits and bring forward their blessings

Craved wooded masks of the Nuna represent the protective spirits that take animal form. The hawk mask above, is carved with an animal snout instead of the round mouth of a hawk, this is a typical of the Bwa who are the Nuna neighbors.

Death Mask

Death Mask

In the western area of the world, a death mask is a plaster or wax mold made of a persons face when they have died. These molds are keep as mementos of the dead and can be used for the drawing of portraits, long after that person has been buried. Due to the slight distortions made by the weight of the plaster on the features of the face, it is possible to tell if a portrait was created from a death mask. Other cultures, like the Egyptians, use clay or other artifact, which is placed over the face of the dead person before burial rites.

Some European countries used death masks as part of an effigy of the deceased, which would be displayed at the funerals; this was during the 17^th century. The 18^th and 19^th century saw the use of the death mask as a permanent record, recording features of unknown corpses as a method of identification; This was later replaced with the invention of photography.

The 18^th century saw a high increase in the production of death masks for the scientific community. They were used to study and record variations in human physiognomy. Anthropologists used these to study physiognomy features in famous people, and notorious criminals.

Picasso and his mask influences

Picasso and his mask influences

From 1906 to 1909 was deemed to be Pablo Picasso’s African period. During this time Picasso’s paintings were highly influence by African sculpture, especially masks. This period of Picasso’s life has been know as negro or black period, which came after his blue period and rose period.

The early 20^th century saw many artifacts brought back from Africa and exhibited in Paris museums, this was due to the expansion of the French empire into Africa. The press at that time, had stories filled about cannibalism and engrossing tales of the African kingdom of Dahorney. Also the exposure of the miss treatment of Africans, in the Belgian Congo that was published in a book, the Heart of Darkness. Due to all the media attention that Africa was being given, It was impossible for Picasso to escape its lure; his imagination was set ablaze  when he was shown a mask from the Dan region of Africa by Henri Matisse.

In May or June of 1907, Picasso experienced a revelation, when he was viewing some African art at the ethnographic museum at Palais du Trocadero. This lead to a heavy influence on his painting Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. The two figures at the right side of the painting were heavily influence.

Degenerate art

Degenerate art

This was a term adopted by the Nazi regime in Germany to describe virtually all modern art.  This art was then banned because it was deemed to be un-German or Jewish Bolshevist in nature, these artists were then identified and classified as degenerate artists and were subject to sanctions. These artist were stopped from being allowed to teach, refused the ability to exhibit their art and in some extreme cases, were banned from being able to produce art entirely.

In 1937 the Nazi’s held an exhibition in Munich, which was called degenerate art. It consisted of modernist art works, which were hung erratically, labelled with derogatory comments, putting down the art. The purpose of this was to help change public opinion against modernism, this exhibit travelled to other areas of Germany and Austria.

Although the Nazis did not have a love for modernism, they did have a love of art. The Nazis promoted any art that was traditional in its origin, from paintings to sculptures, anything that promoted racial purity, obedience and militarism. They made sure that this applied to the music of the era as well; everything was expected to be tonal and free from any cultural influenced music like jazz, if it was found to be within a play or film, they would have to be censored.