<Ul> <Li> Artistic creativity or Expressive individualism: In Western African art in particular, there is a widespread emphasis on expressive individualism while simultaneously being influenced by the work of predecessors . An example would be Dan artistry as well as its presence in the Western African diaspora . </Li> <Li> Emphasis on the human figure: The human figure has always been the primary subject matter for most African art, and this emphasis even influenced certain European traditions . For example, in the fifteenth century Portugal traded with the Sapi culture near Ivory Coast in West Africa, who created elaborate ivory saltcellars that were hybrids of African and European designs, most notably in the addition of the human figure (the human figure typically did not appear in Portuguese saltcellars). The human figure may symbolize the living or the dead, may reference chiefs, dancers, or various trades such as drummers or hunters, or even may be an anthropomorphic representation of a god or have other votive function . Another common theme is the inter-morphosis of human and animal . </Li> <Li> Visual abstraction: African artworks tend to favor visual abstraction over naturalistic representation . This is because many African artworks generalize stylistic norms . Ancient Egyptian art, also usually thought of as naturalistically depictive, makes use of highly abstracted and regimented visual canons, especially in painting, as well as the use of different colors to represent the qualities and characteristics of an individual being depicted . </Li> <Li> Emphasis on sculpture: African artists tend to favor three - dimensional artworks over two - dimensional works . Even many African paintings or cloth works were meant to be experienced three - dimensionally . House paintings are often seen as a continuous design wrapped around a house, forcing the viewer to walk around the work to experience it fully; while decorated cloths are worn as decorative or ceremonial garments, transforming the wearer into a living sculpture . Distinct from the static form of traditional Western sculpture African art displays animation, a readiness to move . </Li> </Ul> <Li> Artistic creativity or Expressive individualism: In Western African art in particular, there is a widespread emphasis on expressive individualism while simultaneously being influenced by the work of predecessors . An example would be Dan artistry as well as its presence in the Western African diaspora . </Li> <Li> Emphasis on the human figure: The human figure has always been the primary subject matter for most African art, and this emphasis even influenced certain European traditions . For example, in the fifteenth century Portugal traded with the Sapi culture near Ivory Coast in West Africa, who created elaborate ivory saltcellars that were hybrids of African and European designs, most notably in the addition of the human figure (the human figure typically did not appear in Portuguese saltcellars). The human figure may symbolize the living or the dead, may reference chiefs, dancers, or various trades such as drummers or hunters, or even may be an anthropomorphic representation of a god or have other votive function . Another common theme is the inter-morphosis of human and animal . </Li> <Li> Visual abstraction: African artworks tend to favor visual abstraction over naturalistic representation . This is because many African artworks generalize stylistic norms . Ancient Egyptian art, also usually thought of as naturalistically depictive, makes use of highly abstracted and regimented visual canons, especially in painting, as well as the use of different colors to represent the qualities and characteristics of an individual being depicted . </Li>

Compare and contrast african art with the work of modern and contemporary artists