Customer Reviews

Looking at Indian Art of the Northwest Coast

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I wanted to dabble in this form of artwork, so starting in the mid-1980's I bought EVERY book I could find on the topic (I currently have in excess of 160, including some going back to the late 1700's). This book was one of the first I bought and it remains one of my favorites. This book is absolutely outstanding, especially for someone new to the artform.

It overviews the native cultures and tribes, provides info about style difference among tribes, covers the components of the art style, and gives lots of great visual examples, including some good basic info about the symbolism of the elements. It is very successful in giving enough detail to be useful without giving so much that it gets complicated or boring.

Regardless of your interest in this artform, whether you just want one book to learn a little or a "first book" to help you get deeply into it, in my opinion this remains the best one to buy.

If you want to do this sort of artwork, buy this book to get a good basic understanding, then buy "Nothwest Coast Indian Art: an Analysis of Form" by Bill Holm for a deeper understanding of the elements, and "Learning by Designing" Volumes 1 and 2 by Gilbert and Clark for more help with how to actually do it.

The book does a very good job of going through the basic form and function of the lines, shapes and colors used in Northwest art and the similarities between the various tribes along the Pacific Coast. It also teaches one how to recognize an extremely abstract form and identify it based upon the few similar characteristics found for any animal or figure, no matter what shape or tribe it came from. All in all a very good reference book for a beginner trying to figure out the way of the coastal natives' art.

Through well-detailed photographs and drawings, this book provides a nice introduction to Northwest tribal art. It uses examples of two- and three-dimensional works of art to explain the meanings and symbolism behind the animal motifs. You will quickly learn to recognize the ovoid, and S and U shapes that are characteristic to the art form. It also explains stylistic differences between the different cultural groups. I used this book on a trip through the Northwest and it really enriched my experience.

On vacation in the Olympic Peninsula, I purchased a copy of this book (sorry Mr. Bezos!) because interpreting Haida, Tlingit, and other artists' work has been such a challenge. This book provides amazing descriptions of how to decipher the parts of the artwork to figure out which animal it is, and what the image depicts. The closest comparison is the Renaissance art appreciation class I took in college... and this was much more accessible, and cheaper besides. My mom is craving a copy of this book!

This is a great book if you are looking for explanations of the history of the Haida artwork and drawings. It also includes many examples of the artwork and is easy to read and understand for all ages.

Great pictures, explainations, and examples, Put in wonderful catagories and easy to understand!! Fully recommend!! I wish there was more of it as it is so well thought out!!

Great, yet another book about "Northwest Coast" and "Coast Salish" art that ignores the art of the Salish Indians of Western Washington. Ever since J. E. Standley flooded the Seattle tourist market with the fake Kwakiutle artwork, fake totem poles, and other hybrids of art forms from the northern coast Salish tribes, the art forms that are indigenous to our tribes here in western Washington have been all but forgotten, brushed aside by authors who chase the market with books that pretend to deal with all "of the Northwest Coast" but in reality ignore anything south of the 49th Parallel.

Interesting and well written, this book has been not only a wonderful source of entertainment but a good reference for this native art style. Every image is a beautiful example of the style, and covers several medias (print, paint, clothing and carving). Stewart spends time covering all the basics, from the rudimentary design principles, to the myths and symbolism of the many animals and figures represented by the examples. Differences between tribal styles are also covered, each group accompanied by several wonderful examples of the art. This book is a great starting place for anyone wanting to study this art form, whether it be primarily cultural or artistic.

Deceptively simple, seemingly a little book of barely 100 pages, black and white except for the cover - what's to like? All of the afore mentioned. It packs so much without complications. From the Bullhead to the mythical Sisiutl the characteristics as depicted in these line drawings as you see them in NW art, laid out, plainly and clearly, many from varying perspectives. I have admired NW art for years in our various museums, but what I have picked up from this book will inform my 'seeing' in the future.

From the native cultures of the Northwest Coast (southern Alaska to northern Oregon) have sprung some of the most spiritually powerful and visually stunning artworks ever created in the Western hemisphere, rivaling even the Mesoamerican art of the Aztecs and Maya in their complexity and sophistication. The indigenous artists of this region preceded the European modernists by at least a century in their flattening of three-dimensional figures into two-dimensional space, their simplification of reality into geometric forms, and their depictions of subject matter through a simultaneity of multiple viewpoints. This excellent little book helps to translate this unique visual language, and truly broadens the reader's appreciation and understanding of this rich cultural legacy.

Hilary Stewart explains the motifs that recur in Northwest Coast art and provides a field guide to the animals and people--both natural and mythological--most often depicted. The book is generously illustrated with designs by contemporary artists working in the traditional style of the Northwest Coast, as well as black and white photographs of museum pieces, murals, and totem poles. The images are accompanied by insightful text pointing out the cultural significance of each graphic element. No doubt this book is too thin to be the authoritative scholarly reference on the subject, but it provides an excellent introduction for beginners and would serve as a valuable pocket companion for those more knowledgeable in the field. It's also an instructive visual dictionary for artists hoping to try their hand at this style of imagery. If you're at all interested in Northwest Coast art, you'll find this book both helpful and enjoyable.