If you are not an artist, it can be quite difficult for you to know the basic difference between good and bad African Tribal art. No matter whatever may be the art critic's point of view about any particular tribal art piece, the ultimate decision has to be made by you only. Hence, it is very important to make up your own mind regarding the art piece.



Here are some characteristics to help you to judge the quality of tribal art by yourself:

Beauty:

In the eye of the beholder, any tribal art piece must be first of all a piece of beauty. Lacking in this regard means a particular art piece is not worth buying. Just one glance is enough to decide whether you are captivated by the art piece or not.

At times there might be contradictory views regarding the beauty element of a particular art piece between two persons. The beauty aspect depends on a lot of factors such as the shape, pattern, colour, texture, composition, presentation, framing and a lot more things.

Well, to decide on a tribal art piece, you just need to have the answer to this fundamental question, ?Do I like this art piece??

Skill and technique:

For crafting any tribal art piece, be it the original oil paintings, masks or sculptures, a high level of creativity and technical knowledge is required.

As you analyse an oil painting, the first thing that strikes the mind is how skillfully it has been created. Simply by comparing this piece with other works you can determine whether it is an example of good art. However, judging the level of skill in any tribal art work is probably the most difficult task when you are not an artist yourself.

Inherent meaning

Tribal art is a powerful medium for various tribal groups to put forward their ideas about life and other things before the world. It is not necessary that each and every work of tribal art is intended to be thought-provoking.

But still behind any art form, there is a reason which led to its creation. Hence, while judging the external beauty in an art piece try to think deeply by reading into what the artist has tried to say in his creation. Finding meaning or emotion in art will help you to understand art in a whole new way.

Uniqueness

When you look at any particular art form, you get attracted towards it due to some specific reasons that are usually different from other art pieces. These unique elements of any tribal art form have helped in establishing a distinct identity amongst art lovers. The best part of tribal art is that it never uses gimmicks and is straightforward in its approach.

Fulfilled intent

There is always something that an artist wants to say through his work. And this goes with tribal art too. There are many tribal artists who accurately portray a theme or express an emotion. And good artwork must be able to put forward the right thing. The artist's statement must strengthen your understanding level of the art.