Meet the Art: Lines that Link Humanity (Quick Tip)

A giant, clothlike metal sculpture with yellow and silver-gray sections separated by multicolored vertical lines.
El Anatsui, Lines that Link Humanity

Look

The artist who made this sculpture is from Africa, across the Atlantic ocean.

  • Look at this sculpture. What colors do you see? What lines do you see? Move your arms to follow the lines across the sculpture.
  • Now take a closer look by zooming in around the picture. What colors and lines can you see that you didn’t see before?

Connect

Search NCMALearn for works of art from Africa by selecting the region in the search bar. Find some African weavings. Talk about the colors you see. What colors did these artists like best in their fabrics? Did they like the same colors as El Anatsui?

Enrich

This artist used everyday materials to make his art. Collect everyday materials (gum wrappers, cereal boxes, soup can labels, newspapers, and magazines) from around your home.

Make a collage by cutting or tearing these materials and gluing them to a piece of paper.

Grade level
Pre-K, K, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, 3rd Grade
Subject Areas
Social Studies, Visual Arts
Concepts
Culture, Part/Whole