African Art: Aesthetics; The human figure, animals and symbols

• many tradition-based African artifacts serve a specific function. 
• The objects African artists create, while useful, also embody aesthetic preferences and may be admired for their form and composition.
• Sculpture of the human figure should emphasize a strong muscular body, refined facial features, and elaborate hairstyle and scarification patterns. 
• African aesthetics generally have an ethical or religious basis. 
• Although in the Western world, aesthetics is often equated with beauty, artists in some African cultures create works that are not intended to be beautiful. Such works are deliberately horrific in order to convey their fearsome powers and thereby elicit a strong reaction in the viewer. 

• Animals with special attributes—such as antelopes, snakes, leopards, and crocodiles—are represented in art for symbolic purposes. 
• Representations of animals consuming other animals may serve as a metaphor for competing spiritual or social forces. Their depiction is meant to encourage other, less destructive means to resolve a difficult social encounter.
• Features of different types of animals may also be combined into new forms that synthesize complex ideas
• Gestures are a form of symbolism; ex: a seated pose illustrates a dictum about balance, composure, and reflection.