Oceanic Art

The dazzling colors and patterns of the art of the Pacific Islands have long entranced Western audiences, including artists such as Paul Gauguin and Pablo Picasso. In Oceanic Art, 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.


In this second edition, which includes a new chapter on globalization and contemporary art, Thomas 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.


 

Culorile si modelele orbitoare ale artei din insulele Pacificului au fascinat mult timp publicul occidental, inclusiv artisti precum Paul Gauguin si Pablo Picasso. In Oceanic Art, Nicholas Thomas se uita dincolo de suprafetele familiare, uimitoare de sulite si scuturi, pruni sculptate de canoe si cape de pene pentru a descoperi semnificatia artei, trecute si prezente, pentru oamenii din Pacific. In aceasta a doua editie, care include o nou capitol despre globalizare si arta contemporana, Thomas arata cum fiecare regiune este caracterizata de anumite forme si practici de arta - printre care sculpturi ancestrale maori, ritualuri de schimb si razboi in Insulele Solomon, productia de panza de coaja de catre femei in Polinezia - chiar si in este modelat de influente din interiorul Pacificului si de dincolo.