Deaf Artists in America: Colonial to Contemporary [Hardcover]

Deborah M. Sonnenstrahl (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1581210507 | ISBN-13: 978-1581210507 | Publication Date: September 1, 2003

The unique and significant contributions that deaf artists have made to the art world are gathered in this anthology of American deaf artists. This complete collection includes more than 300 works of art by more than 60 artists from colonial times to the present. In addition to the hundreds of illustrations that fill this meticulously crafted book, biographies, detailed descriptions, and a glossary of terms are provided. Prominent artists include David Hockney, William Mercer, John Brewster, and Mary Thornley.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Deborah M. Sonnenstrahl is a professor emeritus in art history and museum studies at Gallaudet University. She has served as a deaf artists advocate, has spoken for the International Center on Deafness, and in 1998 was awarded a distinguished service award from the New York Deaf Theatre. She lives in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 448 pages
• Publisher: DawnSignPress (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1581210507
• ISBN-13: 978-1581210507
• Product Dimensions: 10.5 x 7.2 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #477,774 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Truly Amazing Work of Art, October 28, 2006

By 

Arnold P. Abbott (Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, U.S. A.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Deaf Artists in America: Colonial to Contemporary (Hardcover)

I first heard of this book while corresponding on the internet, and when I purchased the volume, I was immediately struck by the twin artistries which assailed my eyes - a selected group of beautiful drawings and paintings, and the mellifluousness of the descriptive prose which brought each work of art to life. The skill of the author, who is totally deaf herself, in making you feel that you are standing at the artist's elbow as each work is being painted, has to be an art form all by itself. As I read her cogent words, and examined each of the photographs, I could not help feeling that just as we marvel at the master works of such great musicians as Beethoven and Smetana, works composed when each was deaf; we must also stand in awe of such beauty produced by artists who lived in a hearing world, a world which often shunned the art of the deaf, and yet their magnificent works betrayed no sense of resentment or jealousy; just people and a world as they saw it, complete with clowns, society ladies, acrobats, deaf people, still lifes, barnyard inhabitants, and a lot of love. I heartily recommend this book to anyone who loves art, and sensitivity, because both are evenly portrayed in this beautiful volume.

3 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The incredible sound of silence, September 30, 2004

By 

kinkazzo (Europeland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Deaf Artists in America: Colonial to Contemporary (Hardcover)

A long overdue book. When are we finally going to appreciate the creative impetus of impaired dimensions? I am that I am. Whatever the Mind's Eye reflects onto the genius of Art, that is the corner of Infinite Ecstasy for the beholder!
I have personally known a NY deaf artist, who is well mentioned in this excellent book (Wildbank), and I found him extraordinary in all aspects with his sense of color, re-visualization, approach to subliminal sources of imagery: a feast of senses, where senses are not there in full. How can you not stand in awe?
The illusionism of the images presented in this book works because it reflects the vision of artists envisaging through another plane of appraisal. Artists here so carefully construct the perceived space, create the sense of texture in objects, and naturalistically render light effects that the viewer feels immediately drawn into that world.
Wildbank for instance provides me with acceptance of his work's existence as a matter of course. My overriding sense in looking at his production is that if illusionism exists here, it is to be found in the Mind, not in the reality it reflects.

The artificial constructs of certain paintings presented in this books are dynamically charged in space and are convincing because of the realistic character of the light and textural effects the artists create, that can only be engedered by a different perceptual stance. Colors range from the deep reds, blues, and blacks in the shadows to the very light, almost pastel tones of the summarily indicated patterns on sunlit and receding planes along top and left edges.

In many instances the artists presented accent the textural characteristics of their painted objects through the way light hits their surfaces. You can comprehend the interest of a deaf artist in the interaction of light with such objects, when silence dominates everything else around them. Upon examining these light effects, one realizes not only how carefully the artist observes its various characteristics, but also how he uses them selectively and creatively. By selectively eliminating shadows, at times the artist minimizes the temporal quality of the light entering the painting. The shadows create the semblance of reality while minimizing the transitory nature of the moment.

A must read for the discovery of silent creative auras.