Tradition and Talent in Artistic Creativity: A Study of Selected Igbo Folk Artists

Abstract

From the beginning of time, the idea of culture as a common identifying criterion for human homogeneity has always been there. Culture presupposes that certain basics of human existence are commonly shared and maintained by people in certain geographical locations. This in turn implies that people sharing these cultural icons or practices are free to reorder them in new ways to suit specific purposes. The statements above are apposite starting points for a discourse on the symbiotic relationship between Tradition and Talent and how each feeds upon and enriches the other. T.S. Eliot's seminal work on the interface between Tradition and Talent especially as it concerns English poetry will equally provide insights into the relationship between Tradition and Talent in artistic creation. As is obvious, even from the Bible, there is nothing new under the sun and what has been is what will be. This presupposes that most times, when we refer to people as being exceptionally creative, we are simply saying that such people have mastered the art of borrowing from the common pool and turning such borrowed item into something unique to themselves. This work will therefore examine the symbiosis between Tradition and Talent as well as how a focused union of the two engenders creativity. Our inferences will mainly be drawn from the works of select Igbo Folk artists.