ABSTRACT
Another common characteristic of African art is that many of its forms are determined more by tradition than by the ideas of individual artists. This does not mean that the hand of a particular artist cannot be seen in any given work, but rather that creating something that breaks with tradition in form or material is not usually an important value for the African artist as it might be for a Western artist. African art often has the human figure as its primary subject. Yet most African art works do not attempt to portray people or animals realistically. Instead, they tend to be stylized and abstract.
