Native American Art Masterpieces - Hardcover

Penney, David W., And Longfish, George C.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0883634961 ISBN 13: 9780883634967

Publisher: Hugh Lauter Levin Associates, 1996

Synopsis

Native American art is the visual language of an extraordinary people, and its objects and images speak eloquently of a rich history and culture, NATIVE AMERICAN ART MASTERPIECES tells the story of that language, from its early origins in the Hopewell period that began in 200B.C. through to modern-day America, with its powerful images by contemporary Native American artists like Jaune Quick-to-See-Smith and Margaret Tafoya. Forty-eight color reproductions, each accompanied by an essay exploring the art's cultural, historical and ceremonial significance, reveal the deeply rooted traditions and innovative craftsmanship of the Native American aesthetic. The reader will see the spiritual and the sacred throughout Native art work, beginning with the delicately carved Hopewell effigy of a human hand from the Middle Woodland period and a mask with antlers from the Mississippian culture of A.D. 1200-1350. Masterpieces of beading, weaving, and pottery speak vividly about tribal life on the American Plains, and important tribal rituals are recalled in stunning pieces such as a buffalo-hide robe embellished with dyed porcupine quills, a Karok dance hat adorned with ermine and feathers, and a warrior's bonnet with a floor-length trailer of eagle feathers. From the Southwest, the designs on a ceramic water jar, the detailed attire on a Kachina doll, and the intricate weaving on rugs and "chief's blankets" all attest to the deeply reverential culture that was their inspiration. And no less powerful are the wooden masks and figures of the Native Northwest Coast peoples. In addition to the historic pieces which make up the core of traditional Native American art are works from modern-day masters, the painters and sculptors of the 20th century.

About this title

From Library Journal:

The approach of this book is by artifact: 48 objects from various Native American tribal sources are depicted and described. The photography is stunning, and Penney, curator of Native American Art at the Detroit Institute of Arts, provides a thought-provoking essay on each artifact. However, the overall effect is to reveal the insidious pressures of coffee-table publishing on fine art book production. Readers are given inviting glimpses into the meanings of important pieces, whether traditional craft objects or fine art. Yet this information is only enough to whet the appetite for better understanding. Even the mixing of pre-20th century objects such as masks, effigies, and pottery with contemporary paintings and jewelry does not coherently explain the new definitions of "art" that the author wants to make. The book does not have a bibliography of any kind. Ultimately, this publication can be of use only to the very general reader or secondary school student, and even those individuals will want to know more about the objects and the cultures from which they came.?Paula A. Baxter, NYPL Poeschke, Joachim (text) & Albert Hirmer & Irmgard Ernstmeier-Hirmer (photogs).
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Hugh Lauter Levin Associates
• Publication date: 1996
• ISBN 10: 0883634961
• ISBN 13: 9780883634967
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 119