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|b African art is distinguished by its uniqueness in combining a set of intertwined spiritual and material values, in addition to the diversity of its raw materials and resources and its close connection with its natural and social environment. African art is one of the oldest arts known to mankind. It has many characteristics, including continuation of its creativity through ages, interest in masks with their diversity, and statues with their themes in harmony with African thought and environmental conditions. The African artist has also excelled in the fields of wood carving, dance, singing and decorations with symbolic motifs and implications. The African artist is characterized by his spontaneity, simplicity, originality, innocence, aesthetic language and spiritual effects. Primitive African art does not distinguish between fine and applied arts, nor is it concerned with perspective, anatomical proportions and details. The African artist has not been keen on registering his personal name. There is also a contribution by African women, especially in the fields of pottery and weaving. African art is the mirror of African society which reflects its moral qualities, philosophical views and daily hardships. Through it, the African artist dug his history and culture to pass from one generation to another. Music, which was used as a means of communication with the other world, and a language of communication between African peoples, represented the nature of religious beliefs they believed in. Architecture and the shape of buildings are themselves transmitters of African culture with all its meanings, ideas and beliefs. They clearly affect all forms of other arts. The African mask also still plays many social, political and religious functions in most African tribes. Finally, the African Man has managed to preserve his heritage and culture, and his art has even influenced on other cultures.
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