Oaxacan Ceramics: Traditional Folk Art by Oaxacan Women - Softcover

Wasserspring, Lois

Softcover

ISBN 10: 081182358X ISBN 13: 9780811823586

Publisher: Chronicle Books, 2000

Synopsis

Prized by collectors worldwide, Oaxacan crafts are among the most popular forms of folk art today. This celebration of Mexican ceramics combines a gallery of more than one hundred stunning photographs with an insightful text that illuminates the artistry and the artists--all of whom are women. The fanciful, brightly colored works spring from the rich imaginations of rural women drawing on enduring religion, mythology, and themes from their everyday lives. Oaxacan Ceramics tells the remarkable story of six of the most renowned artisans who live and work in villages near the city of Oaxaca. Their exuberant, whimsical creations range from the fantastic to the religious, including mermaids, angels, Zapotec creatures, figures of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, vases, candle holders, and decorative plates--all finely crafted and distinctly colored. Oaxacan Ceramics paints an extraordinary portrait of a vibrant culture and its art.

About this title

About the Author:

Lois Wasserspring teaches at Wellesley College in Massachusetts, where she is director of Latin American Studies.

Vicki Ragan is a photographer whose works are in the permanent collections ol the Brooklyn Museum of Fine Art in New York, the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson, Arizona, and Polaroid Corporation's International Art Collection in Amsterdam. The aut

From Library Journal:

Oaxaca is one of the poorest states in Mexico, and nearly half a million of its three million inhabitants have turned to the craft traditions of their ancestors to sustain themselves. Among the many popular art forms, the folk art of ceramics is the most widespread. Colorful and insightful, this book profiles the top artists working in this popular craft today and celebrates the new direction taken in potteryDthe transition from utilitarian to whimsical and decorative. While some pieces remain utilitarian, others sport colorful fish or angel faces protruding in bas-relief. Bright, cheerful colors cover nativity figurines, animals and mermaids from folklore, skeletons in dress-up, and Frida Kahlo lookalikes. Wasserspring (Latin American studies, Wellesley Coll.) discusses the lives of the mostly women potters as well as their techniques and artistic tradition. The quality of the photographs and paper is outstanding, as is the price for such a well-produced art book. Although there are many larger books on Mexican art, as a single source on Oaxacan ceremics, this book is unique. Recommended for academic libraries and large public libraries with contemporary or Latin American art collections as well as special libraries with an interest in Latin American art or culture.DSylvia Andrews, Indiana State Lib., Indianapolis
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Chronicle Books
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 081182358X
• ISBN 13: 9780811823586
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 132