Dear Jeyamohan,
I watched your video on African art. I have always felt that there is something extraordinary in African art, but I can’t decipher what it is. You easily defined it as freedom—freedom from the grammar of classicism.
Yes, African art has no natural progression toward a classic mode; it has remained tribal and folk from the beginning. Classicism requires an empire as an economic foundation, and mainland Africa has never had such an empire, with the exception of Ethiopia and Egypt. The art from Ethiopia and Egypt is ripe and classic and serves as proof of your theory.
It is wonderful to see you discussing these topics so easily and providing some kind of brain teasers.
Alphonce Mariyan
