African Impressions

The art of African people cannot be understood on grounds of stylistic and aesthetic considerations alone; the objects must be evaluated in terms of age, artists' workshops or migrations of people and art. People moved, ideas moved, and styles moved. This title shows that rivers were an important means by which this movement took place.

But just a glance at the map reveals how the main rivers flowing through this vast area, and their tributaries, played a significant role in the shaping and spreading of the world views of the people who inhabited it. The art of sub-Saharan Africa is complex and rich with interrelated stylistic and other components.