Baule: African Art, Western Eyes

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00287

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22140

The superb sculptures of the Baule people of the Ivory Coast have long been recognized in Europe and the United States as one of Africa's most significant art traditions. The work of many modern artists—Amedeo Modigliani in particular—reflects the direct influence of Baule invention and forms. This original book, filled with the insights of an author who has lived with the Baule and studied their art for more than twenty-five years, explores for the first time the full texture and details of Baule life and art. Abundant illustrations include field photographs showing artworks in the intimacy of daily lives and public performances, and museum photographs of Baule sculptures.

Susan Vogel focuses on the creation and uses of Baule works of art apart from their definition as "art" in Western eyes. She establishes a means for understanding Baule expressive culture from the perspective of the Baule individuals. In an extensive discussion of Baule experiences of art objects, she finds different kinds of looking and seeing—art that is watched (mask dances and entertainment performances), that is seen without looking (works of art too sacred or awesome to be scrutinized), that is glimpsed (sculptures made for personal shrines and kept in private rooms), and that is visible to all (elaborately decorated objects that fulfill the desire for beauty and for open display of talents).

Author

PublisherYale University Art Gallery

Yale University Press

Print publication date October 1997 (out of print)

Print ISBN 9780300073171

EISBN 9780300266498

Illustrations 237

Print Status out of print

Publisher (out of print)

WorldCat

Google Books

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List of illustrations

Mother and child by a kitchen hearth with dried ears of corn, Kongonou, Aitu region
Male Figure for Trance Diviner
Alany Kouadio, called Soule, 1910-1984
Koffi Nguessan, called Américain, Kami
Door with Woman and Leopard
Mblo Portrait Mask of a Man
Gong Mallet with Two Heads, two views
Kouassi Nguessan, called Katake, seated before his house
The chief of Kongonou, Aitu region, with five-legged stool
Seated Male for a Trance Diviner
Map of Côte d'Ivoire
Map of Côte d'Ivoire, showing railroads, roadways, and rivers
Woman carrying a water jar, Boreakpokro, Agba Katienou region
Monkey Figure
Spirit Wife Figure (Blolo bla)
Forest seen from the center of Diamalabo, Akwe region
View from the last row of houses toward the bush, across a cleared borderland, Kami
Map of the village of Andobo-Alluibo
New Kami
Courtyard plan
Courtyard of the chief in old Kami
Spirit wife shrine, Kami
Mbra shrine, Kouassikouassikro, Agba, Katienou region
Carrying the corpse, Kami
Ancestral shrine on the outside of a house, Kouassikouassikro, Agba Katienou region
Staff: Ancestor Shrine
Sacrifice to an ancestral chair, Kami, Akwe region
Gold worker's workshop and shrine, Kongouanou, Aitu region
Seated Female Figure on a Round Stool
Kotche Koffi, Yamoussoukro
Village shrine to Asye, the earth, Kami
Kouassi Kouame and his spirit wife, Kami
Adz with Standing Figure
Figure of a Horse and Rider
Ngatta Yaha, "Inya," one of Kami's best potters, Kami
Kouassi Nguessan Louis (known as Kangah) and his spirit wife, Kami
Bo usu shrine outside the village of Gogokro, Akwe region
Bo usu shrine, Kouassikouassikro, Agba, Katienou region
Small Figures (Male and Female) for Bo Usu
Sitting room in a schoolteacher's house, Diangokro, Aitu region
Standing Female Figure
Painted house, Beboussou, Agba Katienou region
Koffi Afwe Monique's kitchen hearth, Yamoussoukro
Snailshell
Pendant: Snake Catching a Frog
Torso from a Display Figure
Bo Nun Amuin Encrusted Helmet
Two leather war belts on a chair, Wamela Kpli
View of Yakouakoukro village with chairs and granaries, Warebo region
Sleeping room with spirit husband figure, Brouahoussoukro, Agba Ahari region
Mblo Portrait Mask of a Woman (Ndoma)
Figure of Mother with Standing Child
Young woman in front of house façade that she has painted with colored clays, Beboussou, Agba region
Door with Crocodile and Snake
Kouassi Nzue Jeanne and her spirit husband, Kami
Unidentified woman and her portrait mask, Soubiakro, Akwe region
Nguessan Ahou Rosine dancing with Yanso, her grandmother's mask, Kami
An amuin called Ferire for oath taking, Yakouakoukro, Warebo region
Shrine equipment for a trance diviner in storage, Kami
Shrine equipment for a trance diviner in storage, Kami
Female Face Mask (Ndoma)
Woman hiding her late brother's spirit spouse figure, Boreakpokro, Agba Katienou region
Male Figure Holding a Figure
A figure and other belongings left behind after village moved, Old Kami
Shrine in Nguessan's courtyard, Kami
Shrine in Nguessan's courtyard, Kami
Shrine in Nguessan's courtyard, Kami
Figure Holding a Bowl
Figure Holding a Bowl
Gong Mallet with Horse and Rider
Weaver's Pulley: Bearded Head
Fly Whisk with Two Je masks
Weaver's Pulley: Mask withing a Ring
Mblo Rabbit Mask
Mblo Portrait Mask of Moya Yanso
Moya Yanso with her portrait mask and stepson, Kouame Ndri, Kami
Portrait mask of Moya Yanso hidden by cloths, Kami
Kouame Ndri, called Nyakan, with a mask he carved, Kami
Bakary Yao and a portrait mask, Boreakpokro, Agba Katienou region
Mblo Portrait Mask of a Woman
Mblo Portrait Mask of a Man
Mblo Portrait Mask of a Woman
Ambomon during Mblo performance, Kami
Ambomon during Mblo performance, Yakouakoukro (Warebo region)
Kpan Kpan performance, Kami
Kpan Kpan dancer greeting Ngoran Koffi, Kami
Kpan Kpan performance, Kami
Kpan Kpan performance, Kami
Kouassi Kouame with the figure he had carved for the Kpan Kpan dance, Kami
Prelude to the Gbagba dance, Kami
Prelude to the Gbagba dance, Kami
Prelude to the Gbagba dance, Kami
Prelude to the Gbagba dance, Kami
Gbagba dance, Kami
Mblo Antelope Mask
Mblo Ram Mask
Mblo Elephant Mask
Gbagba performance, Kami
Gbagba performance, Kami
Gbagba performance, Kami
Masquerader in a Gbagba performance in the village of Kami, Côte d’Ivoire
Gbagba performance, Kami
Gbagba performance, Kami
Mblo Moon Mask
Mblo Moon Mask
Mblo Moon Mask
Mblo Portrait Mask with Three-pronged Comb
Mblo Portrait Mask with Four Horns
Mblo Portrait Mask with a Figure
Female Face Mask (Ndoma)
Mblo Portrait Mask with Horns
Goli Kple Kple Mask
Pair of Kple Kple masks dancing, Bokpli, Aitu region
Wall painting representing the Goli suite of masks, Didievi town, Nzipri region
Goli Kple Kple Mask
Goli Kple Kple Mask
Goli Glin Helmet
Goli Glin Helmet
Goli Kpan Pre Mask
Goli Kpan Pre Mask
Goli Kpan Mask
Goli Kpan Mask
Handle for a Goli calabash rattle (towa)
Players with their towa instruments during a Goli performance, Yakouakoukro, Warebo region
Kple Kple dancer, one of a pair, at a funeral, Kongonou, Nanafwe region
Goli Glen pair accompanied by a tre (side-blown horn) played by Kalou Yao, Old Kami
Kpan Pre dancer, one of a pair, at a funeral, New Kami
Kpan dancer in Yakouakoukro, Warebo region
Goli Kpan Mask
Figure on Animal for a Trance Diviner
Figure on Animal for a Trance Diviner
Do, sacred men's mask in performance at a funeral in Kouadioblekro
Unfinished men's mask in the forest near Gogkro, Akwe area
Katake, the trance diviner, and the shrine room in his house, Lolobo, Nanafwe region
Funeral display during an Mblo mask dance, Kongonou, Aitu region
Wooden carving of a diviner's iron gong
Fly Whisk Handle
Funeral bed with display of fly whisks, Morofe, Akwe region
Female Figure
Fly Whisk
Sword with Head on the Handle
Chief and retinue in full regalia, Golikro, Aitu region
Lantern
Jug
Female Figure
Necklace
Pendant: Maskette
Pendant: Crocodile
Pendant: Crescent
Staff: Ancestor Shrine
Ancestral shrine for an old noble family, New Kami
Ancestral shrine and sacred family treasure, Old Kami
Bo Nun Amuin Horned Helmet
Figure for Bo Nun Amuin Devotions
Bo Nun Amuin Horned Helmet
Wall painting on a house façade, Aboesekro quarter of Kouassikouassikro
Wall painting on a house façade, Aboesekro quarter of Kouassikouassikro, detail
Bo Nun Amuin Janus Helmet
Bo Nun Amuin Three Horned Helmet
Weight in the Form of a Bo Nun Amuin Masker
Women's shrine in the main street of Kami
Ceremonial Headband
Atonvle, coming of age ceremony for a young girl, Bonikouassikro, Agba Sakiare region
Trance diviner in performance with sculpture and objects on display, Kami
Two Figures, recto and verso
Couple for a Trance Diviner
Double Figure for a Trance Diviner
Monkey-like Figure with Skull
Shrine for Mbra, Bonikouassikro, Agba region
Bakra, dancing Mbra in Bonikouassikro, Agba region
Kouassi Aya dancing Mbra in Boreakpokro, Agba Katienou region
Katake dancing for his asye usu, Lolobo, Nanafwe region, 1972
Trance diviner's hat
Gong Mallets (lowre) for Trance Diviners
Mbra diviner striking the iron gong with his lowre
Gong Mallet (lowre)
Gong
Janus Figure for Trance Diviner
Hooded Figure for Bush Spirits
Trance diviner with her equipment during a private consultation, Nyamien Amenan, Beboussou, Agba Katienou region
Mother and Child for a Trance Diviner
Trance diviner for asye usu in performance
Monkey Figure
Pair of Male and Female Figures for a Trance Diviner
Ceremonial Weapon
Monkey Figure
Spirit Husband Figure (Blolo bian)
Brou Kpengbeng with his father's bo usu figure, Brouahoussoukro, Agba Ahari region
Miniature Spirit Spouse Figures
Spirit husband sculpture in Kouassi Nzue Jeanne's bedroom, Kami
Spirit Wife Figure (Blolo bla)
Spirit Wife Figure (Blolo bla)
Kouakou Akissi Mirabelle with her spirit husband, Kami
Kouakou Akissi Mirabelle with her spirit husband, Kami, detail
Storage area of a woman's house with her brother's spirit wife, Beboussou, Agba region
Man with his spirit wife, Bangokro, Agba Sakiare region
Male Figure with Long Beard
Male Figure with Long Beard, detail
Bearded Male Figure (Bo usu)
Spirit Wife Figure (Blolo bla)
Male Figure
Tiemele Konan and his spirit wife, Kouassikouassikro, Tiemelakro quarter, Agba Katienou region
Mouse Divination Vessel
Mouse divination session, Ongobo, Aitu region
Mouse Divination Vessel
Mouse Divination Vessel
Mouse Divination Vessel
Kanngle type of chair, Wamela Kpli, Warebo region
Man sitting on his own stool at a public gathering, Kongouanou, Aitou region
Stool Supported by a Leopard
Woman's Stool
Weaver's Pulley: Masked Figure
Weaver's Pulley: Horned Head
Weaver's Pulley: Antelope and Two Maskettes, recto and verso
Weaver's Pulley: Maskettes, recto and verso
Man weaving with a decorated pulley, Totokro, Agba region
Loom Beater with Crab and Three Heads
Weight in the Shape of a Head
Maskette
Two Repoussé Disks
Kit for weighing gold, Boreakpokro, Agba Katienou region
Spoon with Head
Tablet for Gold Working
Maskette
Maskette
Fan with Face
House façade with carved and painted shutters, Ase Ngattakro, Nanafwe region
Door Panel with a Mask
Slingshot with Horned Mask
Water Vessel with Lid
Comb with Head
Hair Pins
Ointment Pot with Head
Drum (Atungblan or Klin Kpli)
Drum (Atungblan or Klin Kpli), detail
Zehue Koffi Nestor carving a small mask for sale to Muslim traders, Gogokro, Akwe region
Seated Female Figure (Unfinished)
Mblo Portrait Mask of a Woman
Shutter with Bo Nun Amuin Mask
Standing Male Figure, recto
Standing Male Figure, verso
Weaver's Pulley: Man Wearing Sacred Mask

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Contents

Contents

Author

PublisherYale University Art Gallery

PublisherYale University Press

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22141

Le Président de la République

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Henri Konan Bédié

Notre pays, la Côte d’Ivoire, est un carrefour de peuples et de cultures de l’Afrique noire...

Author

Henri Konan Bédié

PublisherYale University Art Gallery

PublisherYale University Press

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22142

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Acknowledgements

~A project of this scope and duration could have attained neither its breadth nor its longevity without the generous assistance of a staggering number of individual colleagues, friends, and institutions. I am deeply grateful to them all—including any I may have unwittingly omitted here.

Author

PublisherYale University Art Gallery

PublisherYale University Press

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22143

Introduction

~THE BAULE MASK SPOTLIT IN THE MUSEUM CASE OR HANGING OVER THE MANTEL HAS BECOME “BAULE ART,” THOUGH EVERYBODY KNOWS THAT ONCE, IN A DIFFERENT PLACE, IT WAS SOMETHING ELSE ENTIRELY. THIS BOOK WILL TRY TO TAKE YOU TO THAT PLACE.

Author

PublisherYale University Art Gallery

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.12-23

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00287.1

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22144

Chapter subject tags:Baule (African peoples)Figure sculpture, AfricanFieldworkArt, BauleCôte d'Ivoire

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Part One

Part One

Author

PublisherYale University Art Gallery

PublisherYale University Press

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00287.2

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22145

1. Baule Art: The View from the West

BAULE ART HAS REMAINED AT THE CORE OF THE WESTERN CANON OF AFRICAN ART, EVEN AS IDEAS ABOUT THE CANON HAVE EVOLVED AND TASTES HAVE CHANGED...

Author

PublisherYale University Art Gallery

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.24-37

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00287.3

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22146

Chapter subject tags:Baule (African peoples)Art, BauleMasks, BauleSculpture, BauleCôte d'Ivoire

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2. The Baule World

~THE OBJECTS AND INSTITUTIONS OF BAULE CULTURE HAVE A CONSISTENT CHARACTERISTIC SHAPE; THERE ARE RESEMBLANCES AMONG THEM, WHETHER THEY ARE MATERIAL THINGS OR CULTURAL ABSTRACTIONS. A BAULE DANCER APPEARS SELF-CONTAINED, CLOSED IN OUTLINE, ALMOST INTROVERTED, WITH CONTROLLED, BALANCED MOVEMENTS—IN SHORT VERY LIKE A BAULE SCULPTURE; the traditional village...

Author

PublisherYale University Art Gallery

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.38-77

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00287.4

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22147

Chapter subject tags:Baule (African peoples)Sculpture, BauleVillages--West AfricaHousehold shrinesDivination--AfricaSpirits

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3. Art and the Baule

THIS BOOK IS INSPIRED BY MY ENJOYMENT OF CERTAIN OBJECTS OF BAULE MATERIAL CULTURE AS WORKS OF ART IN A WESTERN SENSE, BUT IT SEEKS TO EXPLORE WHAT “ARTWORKS” MEAN IN BAULE THINKING AND IN INDIVIDUAL BAULE LIVES. For almost a century, Baule art has been recognized in Europe (and later in America) as one of Africa’s most significant sculpture traditions. Although Baule art...

Author

PublisherYale University Art Gallery

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.78-105

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00287.5

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22148

Chapter subject tags:Baule (African peoples)Sculpture, BauleDivination--AfricaMasks, BauleRites and ceremonies

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4. Art, Darkness and Visual Memory

~THE MORE IMPORTANT A BAULE SCULPTURE IS, THE LESS IT IS DISPLAYED, JUST AS IN PUBLIC DEBATES THE MOST SENIOR AND RESPECTED PEOPLE SPEAK THE LEAST. “ONE COULD ALMOST SAY, THAT WHAT MOST CHARACTERIZES THOSE [AMONG THE BAULE] WHO HAVE A RIGHT TO SPEECH, IS SILENCE” (LAFARGUE 1970:13). The normal state of important sculpture is to be covered from...

Author

PublisherYale University Art Gallery

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.106-133

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00287.6

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22149

Chapter subject tags:Baule (African peoples)Household shrinesRites and ceremoniesSculpture, BauleSpirits

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Part Two

Part Two

Author

PublisherYale University Art Gallery

PublisherYale University Press

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00287.7

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22150

5. Art that is Watched: Performances

THE VERB MOST OTTEN USED TO DESCRIBE THE EXPERIENCE OF SEEING ENTERTAINMENT MASKS IS THE COMMON nian, WHICH CAN BE TRANSLATED AS “TO LOOK,” “WATCH,” OR “SEE.” PEOPLE WATCHING...

Author

PublisherYale University Art Gallery

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.134-187

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00287.8

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22151

Chapter subject tags:Baule (African peoples)Rites and ceremoniesDance--AfricaMusic--Africa, WestMasks, Baule

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6. Art that is Seen without Looking: The Sacred

~THE SACRED THINGS DEALT WITH IN THIS CHAPTER—GOLD OBJECTS, MEN’S MASKS, AND FIGURES INHABITED BY POWERFUL BUSH SPIRITS—ARE THE MOST VISUALLY RESTRICTED OF ALL BAULE ARTWORKS. SOME OF THEM MUST NEVER BE SEEN BY WOMEN;I never attempted to see these forbidden masks...

Author

PublisherYale University Art Gallery

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.188-239

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00287.9

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22152

Chapter subject tags:Baule (African peoples)Sculpture, BauleRites and ceremoniesMasks, BauleMusic--Africa, West

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7. Art that is Glimpsed: The Private

FROM CHILDHOOD, ALL BAULE PEOPLE KNOW THAT A SCULPTURE THEY MIGHT GLIMPSE IN A SLEEPING ROOM IS PRIVATE AND NOT TO BE LOOKED AT...

Author

PublisherYale University Art Gallery

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.240-267

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00287.10

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22153

Chapter subject tags:Baule (African peoples)Sculpture, BauleSpiritsWomen, BauleDivination--Africa

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8. Art that is Visible to All: The Profane

BAULE ARTISTS AND HOUSEHOLDERS HAVE CREATED A PROFUSION OF USEFUL OBJECTS DECORATED WITH EXCEPTIONAL CARE AND SKILL...

Author

PublisherYale University Art Gallery

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.268-287

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00287.11

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22154

Chapter subject tags:Baule (African peoples)Divination--AfricaSculpture, BauleDecoration and ornamentMusical instruments, Africa

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Conclusion

IN RECENT DECADES, SCHOLARS OF AFRICAN ART (MYSELF INCLUDED) HAVE REACTED AGAINST THE OVERSIMPLIFICATIONS OF THE PAST IN WHICH AFRICA WAS SEEN FROM A GREAT DISTANCE AND PORTRAYED WITH SWEEPING GENERALIZATIONS—AS IF AFRICAN ART WERE A STYLE, AND “AFRICA” WERE A “COUNTRY.” WE HAVE RESPONDED BY REFINING DISTINCTIONS AND CHARTING THE VAST ARRAY OF CULTURAL...

Author

PublisherYale University Art Gallery

PublisherYale University Press

Related print edition pages: pp.286-293

https://doi.org/10.37862/aaeportal.00287.12

Stable URL: https://aaeportal.com/?id=-22155

Chapter subject tags:Baule (African peoples)Wood-carving, BauleMasks, BauleSculpture, Baule

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