Thornton Dial: Image of the Tiger [Hardcover]

Thornton Dial (Author), Imamu Amiri Baraka (Author), Thomas McEvilley (Author), Paul Arnett (Author), William Arnett (Author), N. Y.) New Museum of Contemporary Art (New York (Author), France) Centre Culturel Americain (Paris (Author), Museum of American Folk Art (Corporate Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1993

In a series of essays by noted art critics, Dial's work is presented emphasizing such highlighs as:
- The dissolution of traditional "high art" restrictions
- The phenomenon of the African-American self-taught artist
- Dial's cultural tradition
- Vivid, lyrical interpretations of the artist's imagery

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This monograph, published in conjunction with an exhibition at several museums, is devoted to the assemblages of Dial, an African American ironworker from Alabama who until recently produced his powerful abstractions in obscurity. The color reproductions of Dial's vibrant constructions are superb, but the accompanying essays obscure rather than illuminate the art. Art critic McEvilley uses the jargon of contemporary art criticism to discuss the self-taught artist's place in the art world. Baraka's convoluted diatribe rants about the fate of black artists in a white supremacist society. Extended captions by collectors Paul and William Arnett are based on Dial's own statements and help to explain his imagery, especialy his use of the tiger as a symbol of the black person's struggle in an alien environment. Dial's exuberant works, created from paint and found materials, and their direct titles ("Struggling Tiger in Hard Times," "Struggling Tiger Know sic His Way Out") speak eloquently for themselves.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

A former Alabama steel worker, Dial "made things" without acclaim for the first 60 years of his life. Since his "discovery," the self-taught African American artist has gained international attention. The tiger symbolizes both Dial and the African American male. It acts as protagonist in highly sculptural paintings constructed from found objects, scraps of carpeting, rope, and Bondo. Though the paintings are nearly abstract, close examination reveals a complex narration among the vivid colors, energetic lines, and bold design. McEvilley and Baraka do a good job of explaining the meaning of "outsider art" like Dial's, and through comparisons with figures in conventional art history they validate his work. Enhanced by the fiercely political prose of Baraka and direct quotes from the artist, this book can have an impact in all kinds of libraries. Recommended.
- Susan M. Olcott, Columbus Metropolitan Lib., Ohio
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Harry N Abrams; First Edition edition (September 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0810932172
• ISBN-13: 978-0810932173
• Product Dimensions: 11.7 x 9.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.8 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,074,805 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars thornton dial, February 19, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Thornton Dial: Image of the Tiger (Hardcover)

this is a very nice book. the design is not that great, but otherwise it is great. the art and pictures are very nice. the book was published in 93 so it shows a lot of earlier work by this very important artist. essays by baraka and mcevilley are insightful and should be read by anyone interested in art, black culture, or the politics of art and race. dial is in the 2000 whitney biennial, and this book makes you wonder why he wasn't in it earlier. the titles of the works alone make this worth reading. another book of note very much worth reading is souls grown deep: african american vernacular art of the south, published by tinwood books.