Treasure's From Zimbabwe
African Shona Sculpture
If you have ever had the chance to stop by The David Barnett Gallery you have undoubtedly encountered the stone carved sculptures that are on display within the entry way and front rooms of the gallery. These are African Shona sculptures, which refers to the region and people who carve them.
African Shona Sculpture is a celebration of the oldest, noblest, and perhaps the most demanding discipline of the visual arts. Against all odds, through political turmoil, poverty, famine, and AIDS, these determined Zimbabwean artists are able to produce some of the most powerfully contemporary sculpture in the world today.
The stone itself is quarried in Zimbabwe's Nyanga Mountains, where 2.5 billion years of pressure and heat have created a wealth of dense and beautiful stones, such as Serpentine, Red Jasper, Cobalt, Opal and Springstone.
When parts of the stone are carved and polished to a gem-like patina, the figures and forms seem to emerge naturally from the tactile surface, an effect highlighted by the contrast of stone left rough in some areas. In fact, many of the artists feel that there is a spiritual presence within the stone that speaks to them and guides his or her hands to reveal a material truth during carving. Each individual artist expresses through their own unique style a personal vision of their cultural identity and spirituality. Typically there are eight primary themes within these works with a heavy focus towards family. Some common themes are, women in society, the natural world, rural life, the spiritual realm, legends and myths, the role of elders, and lastly, social commentary.
African art has always played an influential role in Western Art and can be seen in many Cubist works. Such artist's like Picasso and Gauguin were fascinated with the “primitive arts” and reverted back to them for inspiration for their own work. Today, African Shona Sculpture has emerged as an important new art form celebrated throughout world. The work of these sculptors has been exhibited in prestigious museums around the world such as the Rodin Museum in Paris (1971), the Museum of Modern Art in New York (1972), the Royal Botanic Garden in Kew, England (2000), the Boyce Thompson Arboretum, Arizona (2002), the Chicago Botanical Gardens and Garfield Park Conservatory (2003), and the Denver Botanic Gardens (2004).
The David Barnett Gallery has one of the largest collections of Shona Sculpture in the United States, and invites you to see these stunningly beautiful works of art.
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