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The Art of the Benin People J o u r n a l o f A d v a n c e s i n S o c i a l S c i e n c e a n d H u m a n i t i e s JASSH 5 (8), 949-974 (2019) ISSN (O) 2395-6542 The Art of the Benin People Daniel Irabor, Ph.D University of Arkansas – Pine Bluff DOI:10.15520/jassh58446 The Art of the Benin People The original ivory mask representing the face of Queen Idia, court of Benin, sixteenth century William Fleming in the book, Art and Ideas, reflecting the present and the future as well as the claims that the wise author of the Old Testament past, reflecting human achievement as well as book Ecclesiastes (1:9) seems to be thinking of the potential when he wrote ‘’The thing that hath way history holds up the mirror to humanity, been, it is that which shall be; and that which is Journal of Advances in Social Science and Humanities, Vol 5 Iss 8, 949–974 (2019) The Art of the Benin People 950 done is that which shall be done; and there is no daily life as it is in Africa. (Meyer 1995 p.8) new thing under the sun.’’. The search for roots Geary (1983) remarked that among the major and beginning is really the quest for continuation African Art traditions, the art of Edo Kingdom has (Fleming 1). He further queried, ‘’for how can perhaps the widest and most popular appeal for people know where they are going unless they European and American public. Since the know where they have been? How can they destruction of Benin by a British punitive understand the present until they know the past? expedition in 1987 and the subsequent removal of The past in fact, is never really discarded, only large numbers of art works, Benin bronze and expanded, encompassed, and eventually i vories have become prize pieces in museum transcended’’ (Fleming 1). collections. (362) The Kingdom of Benin is Human life may well have begun in Africa, for the known to the world today essentially because of oldest human skeletal remains that have ever been its Art and nothing else. found came from Southern Rhodesia. …centuries Nevadomsky (2005) noted that Benin's art reflects before Europeans invaded the African continent, one of the great kingdoms of West Africa, a forest art was a vital part of every phase of living. Useful empire that spanned a millennium. Trade with objects were enriched with decoration, and Europe found a visual analog in cast brass objects- scripture was an important aspect of rituals and -testimony to centuries of contact and Benin's ceremonies. African societies similar to those of expansionist impulses. … Pre-twentieth century historical past still can be found today. (Russell Benin art became iconic. Like Egyptian pyramids 1975) The people of Benin are one of such and Great Zimbabwe, Benin art represents Black societies; and sculpture forms the most important Africa, the continent's highest but defunct cultural aspect of their rituals and ceremonies. Bronze, achievements. silver, ivory sculptures can easily be found in He explains that: shrines, riverbanks, alters, worn on faces and other The technical virtuosity and aesthetic excellence parts of the body. of Benin art astonished, then puzzled European It has often been said that the ‘objet d’ art’ in curators because its framing occurred within the European sense – that is, an object created for the "cultural degeneracy" theory of the time. sake of its beautiful than its utility – does not exist Arguments over sources--European technical in Africa. Yet perhaps nowhere is the art of the diffusion or indigenous African production-- object and the love of aesthetic form so present in eventually gave way to the documentation of Journal of Advances in Social Science and Humanities, Vol 5 Iss 8, 949–974 (2019) The Art of the Benin People 951 objects and development of a time line. Benin's art isolation. To the Binis, the art was Benin and came to be recognized as an African Benin was the art. There was nothing as accomplishment comparable to the best casting significantly symbolic and important than their art. traditions of Europe, a metallurgical tour de force It was their major resource for everything from that rivaled Renaissance cast art and, in its their economic, social, political pride, value and employment of horror vacui, utilized integrity, to creating meanings for their beliefs and embellishments worthy of the Baroque if not that their entire ways of life. tradition's exuberance. Chanda wrote that the continuation of social The art of Benin is a significant part of the Benin norms was not only reflected in the structures of culture as sculpture forms the important aspect of the community, but also through religious rituals, rituals and ceremonies. Despite frequent views ceremonies, and non-religious ceremonies. In that creativity of Benin artists died with the British these domains, art played and continues to play a punitive expedition of the Benin Kingdom, significant role. … Regardless of the medium, art Thorold Masefield, the British High forms represented the social, political, and Commissioner to Nigeria in an opening address at religious values and customs of the African the Oba of Benin Palace during the Great Benin people. (6) While the primary focus in this paper Centenary in Benin City declared that in the late has been on art of Benin, attempts have been made twentieth century, there have been a number of art to discuss the history, the cultural and spiritual exhibitions featuring the wonderful creativity of beliefs of the people of Benin Empire, sometimes Benin artists. The most recent, and in some ways described as one of the most highly centralized the most striking, was the exhibition at the Royal and socially stratified West African societies. Academy assembled in London as part of Africa Although the ancient Benin Empire is widely 95. … The art of Benin is now an important part recognized for its rich cultural heritage, the paper of the British National Curriculum for schools. identifies that not much work has been done in the The paper presents a descriptive analysis of the area of literature and empirical studies to unravel Art of the Benin people in pre-colonial era. the mystery surrounding the genesis of its Art Specifically, it describes and examines the origin, (Irabor 2009). Garrard declared that it is uncertain structure and activities of the Art of Benin purely when and where this technology was introduced to from a historical perspective. It is hereby noted Benin. (17) According to Babatunde Lawal, that the art of Benin cannot be discussed in scholarly interest in the ancient arts of Nigeria Journal of Advances in Social Science and Humanities, Vol 5 Iss 8, 949–974 (2019) The Art of the Benin People 952 dates from the last years of the nineteenth century: fiery presence that makes this art live. It has lived when the British Punitive Expedition sacked longer, anyway, than the British Empire. The Benin in I897, thousands of bronze objects and European "discovery" of African art began with other art treasures were captured and taken to the British punitive expedition against Benin in England, where they were sold to museums and 1897. It was the looting of Benin that made private collectors. Later, these acquisitions were African art visible to Europeans. When the seized catalogued and published. (193) Such is the artifacts were sold, entering the collections of technical perfection of these bronzes that scholars museums, there was a sense of surprise and at first attributed their origin to the Portuguese, mystification. Although travelers had written (Read and Dalton 1899; Lawal 1977 ) with whom descriptions of Benin City, this was the first time Benin had established contact as early as the anyone outside Africa comprehended the scale of fifteenth century A.D. Lawal (1977) wrote that, Benin's artistic achievement. (Jones 2003) however, this assumption was later discarded The whole issue concerning the origin of the Art partly because possible prototypes for Benin art of Benin appears to be very contentious. To think could not be found in the whole history of of it, there have been several schools of thought on Portuguese or even European art. (Forman, the issue. Some schools strongly believe that the Forman and Dark 1990; Lawal 1977) More-over, art of bronze-casting was imported from Ife, the over nine hundred brass plaques that whose bronze art is widely believed to antedate previously decorated the pillars of the oba’s palace the arrival of Europeans in West Africa (Lawal found in the storehouse along with the rich artistic 1977). Willett and Fleming (1976) stated that it is culture of Benin predate any Portuguese contact uncertain when and where the brass casting (Jones 2003). technology was introduced to Benin. Few of Benin Jonathan Jones (2003) wrote that castings have been scientifically dated; the earliest The Benin plaques and sculptures in the British yet known, a ram-head mask, was made in the first Museum are at once imaginative and classical, half of the sixteenth century. They further stated with a compelling mixture of smoothness and that the man Iguegha for which certain Arts of sharpness, natural observation and unforced Benin have been attributed to, for example, was fantasy. Brass was the preferred medium of the claimed to have brought with him from Ife to royal art of Benin because its redness was Benin, a set of terracotta heads and a small bronze beautiful and menacing, with an authority and a figure in ceremonial regalia (Willett et al, 1967).
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