Publication

1995 - Thames and Hudson, New York, N.Y, New York (State)

Language

English

Word Count

54,000 words, Guess

Page Count

216 pages

Identifiers

  • Open LibraryOL1123343M
  • ISBN-100500202818
  • OCLC Control Number32636384
  • Library of Congress Control Number94061059
  • LibraryThing311576
and 1 more
  • Goodreads1708338

Classifications

  • DDC709/.9
  • LCCN7410 .T46 1995

Description

The dazzling colors and patterns of the art of the Pacific Islands have long entranced Western audiences, including artists such as Gauguin and Picasso. The tendency has been to regard Oceanic art as "primitive," mysterious, shrouded in taboo, but Nicholas Thomas looks beyond the familiar, stunning surfaces of spears and shields, carved canoe prows and feather capes to discover the significance of art, past and present, for the people of the Pacific. He shows how each region is characterized by certain art forms and practices - among them Maori ancestral carvings, rituals of exchange and warfare in the Solomon Islands, the production of barkcloth by women in Polynesia - even as it is shaped by influences from within the Pacific and beyond. The dynamism and diversity of the art are reflected in the illustrations accompanying this revelatory text, from works that evoke the most deep-rooted customs to those that address contemporary political issues.

Subjects

Series Statement

  • World of art

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