korwar style

korwar style, type of carving of northwest New Guinea, particularly the Geelvink Channel region, in which bold, angular lines contrast with delicate, curvilinear, organic forms in the same piece of sculpture. The korwar style is found on canoe prows, headrests, and bamboo quivers, but its most typical expression is the korwar statue of this region, a figural image that is associated with ancestor worship and is believed to provide a residence for souls of distinguished persons. Generally carved in an erect or squatting posture with arms resting on the knees, the figures have heads overly large in proportion to their small bodies.

Frequently, korwar figures carry a shield that sometimes supports the chin of the statue. Melanesian artists use this form to display their masterly ability to carve delicate, repeated motifs—single and double spirals, scrolls, and S-curves—that dramatically contrast with the severe facial delineation, in which the lines are at right angles to one another. The combination of these divergent surface treatments represents a strictly local tradition that cannot be found outside the region.