单选题 When you first saw a piece of African art, it
impressed you as a unit; you did not see it as a col-
lection of shapes or forms. This, of course, means
Line that the shapes and volumes within the sculpture
(5) itself were coordinated so successfully that the
viewer was affected emotionally.
It is entirely valid to ask how, from a purely artis-
tic point of view, this unity was achieved. And we
must also inquire whether there is a recurrent pat-
(10) tern or rules or a plastic language and vocabulary
which is responsible for the powerful communica-
tion of emotion which the best African sculpture
achieves. If there is such a pattern or rules, are
these rules applied consciously or instinctively to
(15) obtain so many works of such high artistic quality?
It is obvious from the study of art history that an
intense and unified emotional experience, such as
the Christian Credo of the Byzantine or 12th or 13th
century Europe, when expressed in art forms, gave
(20) great unity, coherence, and power to art. But such
an integrated feeling was only the inspirational
element for the artist, only the starting point of the
creative act. The expression of this emotion and its
realization in the work could be done only with dis-
(25) cipline and thorough knowledge of the craft. And
the African sculptor was a highly trained workman.
He started his apprenticeship with a master when a
child, and he learned the tribal styles and the use of
tools and the nature of woods so thoroughly that his
(30) carving became what Boas calls "motor action." He
carved automatically and instinctively.
The African carver followed his rules without
thinking of them; indeed, they never seem to have
been formulated in words. But such rules existed,
(35) for accident and coincidence cannot explain the
common plastic language of African sculpture.
There is too great a consistency from one work to
another. Yet, although the African, with amazing
insight into art, used these rules, I am certain that
(40) he was not conscious of them. This is the great
mystery of such a traditional art: talent, or the abili-
ty certain people have, without conscious effort, to
follow the rules which later the analyst can discov-
er only from the work of art which has already
(45) been created.