The form and style of African art usually depends on the beliefs of the artist's culture. This contrasts with European art, in which form and style often reflect the artist's desire for personal expression. An object of African art must first of all perform its function well. Beauty enables it to do so, especially when an object acts as an intermediary between the human world and the world of the spirits. African artists often strive for balance, clarity of form, rigid lines, exaggeration or distortion, and stylized or symbolic depiction.
Sculptures typically achieve balance with the right and left halves being mirror images.
Balance and simplicity of form help convey meaning and aid clarity, and clarity helps the object carry out its purpose. Figures often feature a straight, strong neck, which conveys the idea of an upstanding and upright person in both a physical and moral sense. When the hands, feet, head, or other parts of a figure are enlarged, it means that these parts are of particular importance to the society. Many Yoruba sculptures from Nigeria have enlarged heads, because the head is considered the location of a person's luck, wisdom and destiny. The Yoruba also enlarge the eyes because they are the windows to the soul.