Artists in Liberia and the United States
A Comparative View
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4250558 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Karen L Field (0009-0002-4294-6534, Washburn University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1982 |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 4 |
| Pages | 713-730 |
| Publication date | 1982-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal of Modern African Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-278X • E-ISSN: 1469-7777 |
| Publisher | Cambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1017/s0022278x00000318 |
| OpenAlex | W2134307148 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 21 |
In summary, six striking parallels have been found between the artist archetypes in Liberia and the United States, each of which appears to be rooted in some structural similarity between the two societies at the material and social levels. The structural factors which have been suggested as pivotal in determining the nature of the artist archetype have included: (1) the atypicality of the carver/artist/s labour process via-à-vis that of other workers; (2) the development of an alternate value profile congruent with that atypical process; (3) the need for itinerancy/migration to ensure a large enough market for self-support; (4) dependence on the élite class for patronage; (5) relative economic insecurity; and (6) a definition of the product which necessitates solitary labour. These factors combine to create in the general public the image of the artist described earlier.Some carvers and artists may appear to exhibit the traits imputed to them, and even 'play into' their expected image; but this phenomenon can be explained without invoking some innate 'artistic temperament' or transcultural 'artist's rôle'. Rather, we can conclude that carvers and artists, like other human beings, are subject to specific material and social constraints that shape their own consciousness and that of their public. Though individuals make art, it is as true of art as of history, that 'they do not make it under circumstances chosen by themselves, but under circumstances directly encountered, given, and transmitted from the past
Aesthetics · Archetype · Art · Consciousness · Economics · Epistemology · Image (mathematics) · Literature · Parallels · Phenomenon · Similarity (geometry) · Sociology · Subject (documents) · Value (mathematics) · Cultural Industries and Urban Development · Philosophy
Social organization
Culture and Society, 1780-1950
Marxism and literature
Varieties of human value.
Icarus
The Sociology of Art and Literature
Labor and Monopoly Capital
The Traditional Artist in African Societies
Bohemia
Tradition and Creativity in Tribal Art
Masked Rituals of Afikpo
Primitive Art and Society
The Artist in American Society
The Transformation of Nature in Art
The Pueblo Potter
The Artist in American Society
Primitive Art and Society
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |