African art is a religious art. The traditional African tribal artist serves the community by creating artworks which are valued for their spiritual, rather than their aesthetic qualities.

However today, most traditional African artworks are produced for the tourist trade. Although some of these objects are examples of skilled craftsmanship, collectors suggest that many lack the character that is generated by a spiritual, as opposed to a profit motive.

Art without a 'spiritual dimension', in the broadest sense, never transends the level of mere craftsmanship and is unable to communicate those elevated emotions that are born from a deeper mystic inspiration.

Most common material used for making African Masks is wood. Animal skins and vegetable fibre are used to decorate the masks

Wood is the basic material for African masks and sculptures. It is the most appropriate host for the spirit of a carving as the tree from which it comes is governed by the same natural and supernatural forces that condition the vision of the artist and his community.

The tools used to make a carving - traditionally the Adze - are also endowed with their own particular spirits. When tools are passed down through different generations, they sometimes inherit the spirit and skills of their previous owners. They, like the artist, his carving, and the tree from which it came, are all part of that 'oneness' of nature - the ecological vision that informs all African tribal culture.

Pablo Picasso was the first artist to be inspired by African art

At the dawn of the 20th century, artists were looking for new forms of expression that challenged, rather than simply illustrated the rapidly changing world of ideas and technology. The traditional techniques of realism and perspective seemed overworked and predictable.

Picasso's solution was to draw on images from other cultures and fuse them with European influences to refresh the tired tradition of Western art. The new perspectives that these cultures offered opened many doors of development which led to the cross-fertilisation of ideas and styles that constitute our art world today.

The expressive power of African art was fundamental to this revolution and to the development of its first major style: Cubism.

Geometric pattern is an essential element in many African masks and carvings.

It creates an external rhythm which echoes the internal spiritual energy of the artwork.

It can also be used as a coded language where the design communicates secret knowledge to those in the know. The Bwa Plank Mask ( illustrated left ) which is used to celebrate boys' initiation to adulthood, is a good example of this. Its designs impart information about myths and morality that the boys must learn before they can be accepted into adult society.

Most African masks are carved with stylised features to increase their expressive power.

African tribal artists do not try to create a perfect representation of their subject. They create an idealised version, emphasising elements that they consider most important:

TEXTURE -  Highly polished surfaces which represent a youthful healthy skin reflect the idea of beauty and virtue, while rough dirty surfaces suggest fear and evil. Many African carvings portay the idealised human figure in its prime, brimming with health, strength, and fertility or virility.

COMPOSITION -  Formal symmetrical arrangements of line, shape and form in figures and masks evoke integrity and dignity.

TECHNIQUE -  Skilled craftsmanship, fine detail and quality of finish are of great importance to the African tribal artist .