African Folklore: An Encyclopedia - Marshalls University

works in all media display a consistent set of esthetic preferences. Surfaces are carefully
worked to produce a smooth, shiny finish. Cloth, pottery, wood, and metal masks are all
covered with finely detailed decoration, frequently displaying design elements that refer
to proverbs.
The Baule express an esthetic preference for full, round, voluminous shapes and
closed forms in both their pots and statues. They seem to prefer things that seem to us
elegant and refined, and restrained rather than extroverted. Even the style of dancing
preferred by Baule women displays this esthetic, with its emphasis on subtle, restrained
movement.
A comparison with the esthetics of the neighboring Senufo people shows that the
Baule make rounded, finished objects, while the Senufo create taller, rougher, slightly
concave forms. While there are naturally some exceptions, the research done on Baule
esthetics, as displayed in their sculpture, by Susan Vogel shows a remarkably consistent
set of standards.
The Baule clearly enjoy looking at, talking about, and evaluating objects. An early
writer, Hans Himmelheber, used the Baule as an example of the existence of the “art for
art’s sake” esthetic in Africa. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that the Baule
simply take a connoisseur’s pleasure in objects that are well made and finely decorated.
References
Arbelbide, Cyprien. 1975. Les Bauole d’apres leurs dictons et proverbes. Abdijan: Ceda.
Chauveau, J.P., and J.P.Dozon. 1987. Au coeur des ethnics ivoiriennes…l’etat. L’etat
contemporain en Afrique. Paris: Harmattan.
Etienne, Pierre, and Mona Etienne. 1962–1964. L’organisation sociale des baoule. Étude Regionale
de Bouake. Abdijan: Ministere du Plan.
Ravenhill, Philip. 1980. Baule Statuary Art: Meaning and Modernization. Working Papers in the
Traditional Arts, No. 5. Philadelphia: ISHI.
——. 1996. Dreams and Reveries: Images of Otherworld Mates among the Baule of West Africa.
Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Press.
Vogel, Susan Mullin. 1997. Baule: African Art Western Eyes. New Haven: Yale University Press.
JEROME VOGEL
See Body Arts; Dress
African Americans 239
ESTHETICS