Barkcloth panel c. 1930

drawing, mixed-media, fibre-art, panel, pigment, textile

drawing

mixed-media

fibre-art

organic

panel

pigment

textile

organic pattern

natural texture

indigenous-americas

This barkcloth panel, created by the Mbuti people around 1930, is a striking example of African textile art. The panel features an intricate pattern of geometric shapes and lines, incised into the surface of the barkcloth. The brown pigment, likely derived from natural sources, creates a subtle contrast against the light brown background. This type of barkcloth was traditionally used for clothing, ceremonial purposes, and as a form of artistic expression. The piece is now housed in the Minneapolis Institute of Art, showcasing the rich artistic heritage of the Mbuti people.

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minneapolisinstituteofart about 1 year ago

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Mbuti men collect pieces of the inner layer of tree bark, soak them in water, and pound them until they are thin and pliable. Mbuti women then use twigs or their fingers to decorate these canvases with intricate designs that show repetitions of a single element or various groups of motifs. The Mbuti people live in the Ituri rainforest in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, and the abstract imagery in their art expresses the shapes and motions of their natural environment. The barkcloth paintings can be seen as maps of the forest, invoking trails and webs, insects and animals, leaves and shelters. Yet these visual compositions also refer to the language of Mbuti music, characterized by syncope, free improvisation, and polyrhythm. As such, the painted barkcloths become graphic soundscapes, rendering a multitude of sonic events in conjunction with silence, captured by the paintings’ negative space.