Art, Inculturation and Catholic Missions in Central Africa during the Mid-20th Century: Understanding the Sculpture of Gabriel Mashitolo from Kwango

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This research focuses on the transformation of African artistic practices in response to new forms of patronage associated with the Roman Catholic Church during the middle of the twentieth century, and in particular its developing doctrine of inculturation.Inculturation denoted an approach to missionary activity that attempted to enable Christianity to develop according to existing local practices. Partially this involved recruiting and developing a local clergy, but missionary patrons also encouraged local artists to use existing carving styles and techniques to produce work that depicted Christian subjects.Central to this research is the work of Gabriel Mashitolo, a named artist who worked under under Catholic patronage in Kwango, Democratic Republic of Congo between 1930 and 1950, and produced sculptures suggestive of inculturation for exhibitions in Europe.