Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

infamous Google search engine did little better. After about five hours of probing the depths of the internet,
it dawned on me that a contributing factor to my inability to make any headway, aside from the fact that this
mask is incredibly unique, was that I was limiting myself to images that were explicitly of African elephant
or twin masks. Not one to give up easily, I then spent a good amount of time probing academic journals for
articles about the meaning of elephants and twins to various African cultures. While this textual method
yielded significantly more information, when I compared the images of the art of cultures that place great
importance on elephants and twins to the image of the mask I was researching, there was very little
correlation. Despite the great difficulty in procuring information, I refused to let go of my original idea of
elephants and twins. Of course, I did not know if either of those assumptions was correct – I was operating
on instinct, aided by an unconscious sense of aesthetics.
I wanted to understand where my aesthetic sense of art objects came from and thus better prepare
myself to overcome my biases when viewing the art of non-Western cultures. The first step on this path to
understanding particular biases entailed working out a cursory definition of “Western.” A
The term “Western” is applied broadly to all aspects of culture. Art is no exception. However, the
broad application of this moniker leaves much to be desired – what is the Western world? How is the
Western world defined geographically, governmentally, and economically?
Geographically, the Western world does not conform to any particular landscape. Continental
landmasses cannot contain the regions known to be Western, just as the Western Hemisphere is woefully
inadequate even as a rough estimation of the extent of the Western world. Most of Europe is considered
Westernized, yet some areas of Europe are excluded. North America is included, sans Mexico. Australia
and New Zealand are generally considered Western. What unifying factor could these seemingly disparate
physical regions share?
Ties to colonial imperialism are a common denominator, specifically British colonial imperialism.
355