Tribal Art & How It's

Influenced Us Today
John Battle.
Prof. Burleson
4/19/24
Humanities
What is Tribal
Art?
• Tribal art, put simply, is an all-
encompassing term describing art of
indigenous people across the globe.
Despite it being a very broad term,
many only use it in reference to specific
areas and people due to narrow interest
outside of those areas.

• Tribal art has existed as long as humans

have and has naturally gone on to
inspire countless artistic movements and
aesthetics since people have begun
discovering each other and each other's
cultures.
 • Despite tribal art being meant as an all-encompassing
term, it's sparsely used for any art outside of the
cultures of very specific areas, those being the
following: African Art, Native American Art, and
Oceanic Art (which includes New Zealand, Polynesia,
Melanesia & Australia).
• The reason as to why the term is used for so few
groups is because western collectors and institutions
have seldom paid attention to anyone outside of these
groups. Part of the reason why could be attributed to
the "Noble Savage" myth (which is a patronizing view
of indigenous people, claiming they're pure and
Shortcomings childlike due to lack of "corruption" by "civilization").

Of The Term • Tribal art, historically, has been seen less as valuable
art that comes from outside of the Anglosphere and
"Tribal Art" more so as exotic artifacts and collectibles. This view
of tribal art still can be seen today in many
ethnographic collections.
Tribal Art's
Influence I
• Despite how some may view tribal art, it's impact on
Western art is undeniable. The most pertinent example of
this was the impact tribal art had on Modernism. Both as
a response to stiff renaissance-era art & posturing and
due World War 1, artists began seeking inspiration from
outside of the anglosphere.

• Out of modernism sprung Cubism and Dadaism. Cubism

followed tribal art's lead by having highly exaggerated
and abstracted human features, and Dadaism came from
Cubism, which focused on being as abstract and
nonsensical as possible and making art out of collages
and assemblages.
Tribal Aesthetic In
Modern Times I
• Tribal art has also been used as a building
block for more fleeting aesthetic
movements, especially during the 80s to
the 2000s. The first example of this was
kickstarted when companies, usually
equipment companies or clothing brands,
wanted to cultivate an eye-catching
aesthetic. These companies turned to
tribal art and infused it with neon colors
and eye-popping contrast, usually
alongside surfing or skating imagery.

• This kind of aesthetic was seen mostly in

surf/skate shops and especially arcades.
Tribal Aesthetics In
Modern Times II
• The next major aesthetic trend to utilize
tribal aesthetics emerged sometime in
the mid 90s. It was a style that would
come to be posthumously known as
Global Village Coffeehouse, best
identified by its corporate look, usage of
brown, woodcut drawings, Keith
Harring drawings, and ambiguously
ethnic drawings.
• The best example of this specific look is,
obviously, coffee houses circa the 1990s.
Tribal Aesthetics In
Modern Times III
• The last major boom that tribal aesthetics saw were in
the tribal tattoo craze of the late 90s and early 2000s.
Tribal tattoos were ambiguously ethnic and pulled from
a variety of indigenous groups and tribes to cement the
look. The designs of tribal tattoos were subsequently
very eye-catching and bold as a result of this, alongside
the pitch-black coloring of these tattoos.

• Not only was this arguably the peak of western tribal

aesthetics, but also showed how divorced tribal art and
aesthetics became from its roots. Tribal tattoos couldn't
be placed to any specific ethnic group or culture (having
personally heard comparisons ranging from Celts to
Polynesians) and had effectively become its own thing.

• Long after these types of tattoos were in vogue, they

posthumously gained a reputation for being cultural
appropriation.
Conclusion

• Tribal art has been around as long

as there have been humans capable
of making art and has evolved
alongside humanity. Despite how
some may look down on it and treat
tribal art as primitive, there is no
denying the influence its had on art.
Sources
• Heller, S. (2017, October 11). Victims of the image: Ignobility for the
noble savage. Design Observer.
https://designobserver.com/feature/victims-of-the-image-ignobility-
for-the-noble-savage/39654
• Godward, F. (2016, September 15). Understanding tribal art.
www.widewalls.ch. https://www.widewalls.ch/magazine/tribal-art-
primitive-artists
• The rich history and symbolism of tribal tattoos. Funhouse Tattoo San
Diego. (2024, February 14).
https://funhousetattoosd.com/2024/03/11/the-cultural-significance-of-
tribal-tattoos-a-journey-through-time/