Oceanic Art

London England: Thames and Hudson Ltd, 1995. Paperback. Oceanic Art. The dazzling colours and patterns of the art of the Pacific Islands have long entranced Western audiences, not least artists such as Gauguin and Picasso. The tendency has been to regard Oceanic art as 'primitive', mysterious, shrouded in taboo, but Nicholas Thomas, in looking at and beyond the familiar, stunning surfaces of spears and shields, carved canoe prows and feather capes, discovers 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 exhcnage and warfare in the solomon Islands, the production of barkcloth by women in Polynesia - while being shaped by influences from within the Pacific and beyond. The dynamisim 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. 182 illustrations, 26 in colour. 216 pp. (We carry a wide selection of titles in The Arts, Theology, History, Politics, Social and Physical Sciences. academic and scholarly books and Modern First Editions, Reference books ,and all types of Academic Literature.). 1st Paperback Edition. Soft Cover. Near Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" Tall Octavo. Paperback.