Iconography, Arts and Design of Metal Sculptures in Nigerian Art Institutions (1980-2011)

Abstract

Nigeria’s rich and diverse artistic heritage dates back to over 2000 years. The earliest noteworthy art pieces, according to scholars, are the finely produced terra-cotta sculptures of the Nok culture, together with bronze heads from Ife dating from the thirteenth century. The bronze plaques, statues and ivory carvings from Benin are generally considered Nigeria’s most important artistic legacies. These sculptures represent those art forms rendered at the period when the impact of foreign aesthetics judgment, ideological and religious influences had not been fully apprehended by the natives, local artisans and craftsmen. With the advent of Western influences, Nigerian art, to a major extent, gave way to modern tendencies: a modern Nigerian art evolved through formal, institution training in art. Sculptural expressions manifested in these institutions are depicted in varied styles, themes, and media such as in cement, metals, marble-stone, fibre-glass, plastics and found-object. With time, a large number of these sculptures were prone to destruction through the effect of weathering and oxidation; particularly, those works produced in metal alloys. This study examines sculptures made of metal alloy in these institutions and looks at some changes that had come up to them as a result of weathering and oxidation over a period of time and proffer some preventive strategies for the metal works. As globalisation affects every facet of human life, the whole world becomes one little village. The visual arts, particularly metal sculpture, are not left out in the benefit of this trend. The study further elucidates on the new aesthetic forms and iconography, styles and themes, materials and techniques that have evolved from the works and positions the genres in historical perspective of modern Nigerian art.

Keywords: Iconography, Arts and Design, Metal Sculptures, Nigerian art Institutions.