ABSTRACT
The students used Western cultural categories, such as the opposition between art and craft, and projected their romantic views of ‘primitive people’, to classify the objects. The interpretation of artistic style as ‘natural’ is based on the assumption that in art, genuine and counterfeit developments can be distinguished and that stylistic features of past and present art works can be related in either proper or improper ways. Identity is understood as an indication of timeless ontological qualities of either individuals or social groups. Deviant behaviour is called artificial or commercial, and if one acts in a deviant manner one may be accused of loss of identity, and loss of artistic integrity. Artistic style is represented as evidence of identity, and identity as evidence of artistic style. African cultural tradition no longer meant ‘primitive’, but was reinterpreted as being something of which to be proud.
