{"id":3496,"date":"2007-11-05T10:42:36","date_gmt":"2007-11-05T09:42:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/?post_type=pubblicazioni&p=3496"},"modified":"2026-10-08T11:27:54","modified_gmt":"2026-10-08T09:27:54","slug":"classical-africa","status":"publish","type":"pubblicazioni","link":"https:\/\/www.daltonsomare.com\/en\/publications\/classical-africa\/","title":{"rendered":"Africa Classica – Il Rigore della Forma"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Classical Africa \u2013 The Rigour of Form<\/h1>\n

Catalogue of recent acquisitions by Dalton Somar\u00e9 Gallery.<\/p>\n

Year: 2007
\nTexts: Dalton Somar\u00e9
\nFormat: 21 \u00d7 28 cm
\nPages: 55, 22 black and white images
\nLanguage: Italian<\/p>\n

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Classical African art and historical definition<\/strong><\/p>\n

Classical African art<\/strong><\/a> represents one of the most coherent and refined expressions of African sculpture. In 1912, art critic Andr\u00e9 Warnod suggested that Art N\u00e8gre might replace Greek art in the education of young artists. He was referring to a more restricted and coherent body of works than what we now broadly define as African art.<\/p>\n

This vision excluded both the naturalistic traditions of Ife and Owo and the more radical forms later associated with Art Brut. Dealers and scholars such as Paul Guillaume, Ren\u00e9 Rasmussen and Charles Ratton contributed to defining an early canon of African art, based on works that moved beyond realism toward formal and conceptual clarity.<\/p>\n

These works are characterised by harmony of proportion, architectural structure and stylistic coherence. They reveal a transition from representation to conceptual construction, demonstrating a mature and highly developed artistic tradition. As recognised by the 20th-century avant-garde, African sculpture articulates space through structured volumes, establishing a visual language based on balance and formal logic.<\/p>\n

The selection presented in this catalogue follows this early definition of Art N\u00e8gre, developed between the two World Wars and now understood as a classical phase in African art.<\/p>\n

Classical Africa represents a key moment in Dalton Somar\u00e9\u2019s research, contributing to the definition of African art as a structured and sophisticated visual system.<\/p>\n

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Further reading<\/h3>\n

all publications<\/a>
\nAfrican art in Italy<\/a>
\ninternational exhibitions and fairs<\/a>
\ngallery exhibitions in Milan<\/a><\/p>\n

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Related publications<\/h3>\n

A Hidden Heritage<\/a>
\nOrigins: A Vision on African Art<\/a>
\nEntre Gr\u00e2ce et Brutalit\u00e9<\/a>
\nFigures Africaines en Bois<\/a><\/p>\n

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