Comparison between the Nok and the Djenne Art Styles.

      The Nok and Djenne people are both indigenous to what is now modern-day Nigeria. Despite their closeness, the two cultures developed distinct art styles. The Nok took a more realistic approach with their artwork, with most recovered sculptures being human heads in a similar size and shape to a real human head. The Djenne's artwork often takes a more abstract approach, with long tubular limbs on their sculptures. 



                                                 
        The Nok culture creates most of their sculptures out of terracotta, which is similar to many other African cultures, including the Djenne. Unlike Djenne sculptures, they use a style called coiling which left the interior of the head hollow. The Nok style can be identified by both the eyes and hair. In most Nok sculptures they use a triangular shape for the eye with a hollowed pupil. They also place a significant emphasis on the detail of the hair. A unique quality of Nok artwork is the multiple uses for their different head Sculptures. Some are intended to be worn as pendants, some recovered heads indicate that they were previously attached to a larger structure. The largest of the discovered heads is suspected of being attached to a full-sized sculpture, which would also make it the largest sculpture discovered from this region (Dewey). 

                                                         

    The Djenne's abstract style is a clear contrast to that of the Nok; the long tubular bodies and the pointed head are common themes for Djenne sculptures. The Djenne use a different technique than the Nok to create their sculptures and place significance on different aspects of their art. The most detail on Djenne figurines is seen in their decorative clothing and the characteristics of the head. Features common the Djenne style are an oblong head with building eyes and a large nose. Many figurines are also depicted with gear relating to archery or warfare, such as the quiver on its back (Dewey). 

Dewey, William. "Djenne," Pennsylvania State University.  Accessed Nov 6th, 2020. https://africa.uima.uiowa.edu/chapters/ancient-africa/nok/?start=0#essay 

Dewey, William. "Nok," Pennsylvania State University.  Accessed Nov 6th, 2020. https://africa.uima.uiowa.edu/chapters/ancient-africa/nok/?start=0#essay 

Comments

  1. Madison CunninghamNovember 7, 2020 at 10:26 AM

    Alex, thanks for your post. I wrote about the Djenne earlier this week. I was blind when it came to the minor similarities between the Nok and Djenne. I think the heads are similar. Yes the Djenne uses a more elongated head but I still think they share the length.

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