아프리카 가면의 조형미와 상징성

Abstract

The African imagination reaches its climax in the mask dance. Out of a collaboration of carvers, costume makers, specialist in ritual, musicians and dancers a gesamtkunstwerk emerges whose complex structure of ritually defined choreography, noises, rhythms and music achieve a considerable degree of fantasy and intensity. In the old masquerade traditions, the urgency of each dancer's performance derived from the conviction. "I am not myself," It was not he(r) who danced: (S)he was danced. A being or spirit entered his/her body, thus assuming outward form and communication in the physical embodiment with the circle of living and visible onlookers. Many standard texts on African masks from the early twentieth century raise their character as objects to an absolute. In fact, it was primarily art historians like Carl Einstein or art dealers who wrote on African art, arranged exhibitions or contributed loans to them. Almost no references to the appearance of masks in the context of rites or celebrations are found in their writings, and, obviously, dealers in particular would tend to consider the aesthetic autonomy of masks beyond doubt. It was not until the post-colonial era that observers attempted and became equipped to do justice to the variety of African art making. Academics realize that African masks are not just equipments of ritual performance, but an entity of religion, politics, economy, aesthetics and cultural performance. Furthermore, African masks carry some aspects of cultural creolization, it changes its form and meaning all the time.