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5.0 out of 5 stars
A wealth of information and a fountain of inspiration, December 12, 2004
A lot of great research has gone into this book. They have some incredibly wonderful examples in clear understandable photographs, including marvelously, the box Bill Reid was buried in, by the master of the Black Form.
If you're interested in Northwest coast graphic art, I think this is on par with Bill Holm's book - it's the best there is.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Beneath the Surface, February 14, 2011
Each object of Northwest Coast art can been seen in many different ways: as a work of art, a tool, a commodity, a family treasure, a cultural icon, a religious artifact. A meaning is assigned to each of these viewpoints, and a valuation is attached to each meaning. Deep significance and deeper cultural implications accrue around these objects in multiple layers. This is a complicated aspect of their provenances.
This book cuts through some of these complications--literally and figuratively. While acknowledging that each object has its own inherent values and that these values function on many different levels, the level that is examined here is the most basic one--it is that of the form-line, and the "language" of the designs. The visual alphabet of the paintings is made clear. Though it's a fundamental investigation, in the sense that it doesn't stray very far into the metaphysical realm or the political arena, it's fascinating.
In an attempt to preserve and share this language of the form-line, Bill McLennan, curator of the UBC Museum of Anthropology, photographed many old bentwood boxes, storage chests, boards and screens with infared and high contrast film. This revealed new intricacies of design, style and coloration that were otherwise invisible under layers of oil and soot or that were faded from exposure.
Compositional skills and variations, slight asymmetries of forms, and even nuances of brushstrokes suddenly emerged--and with these came a deeper awareness of, and appreciation for, individual artists.
Lyle Wilson, a contemporary Haisla artist, has carefully drawn and painted numerous "reconstructions" of the designs. His contributions, set next to the originals, are remarkable in their clarity and precision.
Karen Duffek has written a knowledgeable text to accompany the comprehensive imagery. There are numerous color photographs of the various objects; page after page of infared photographs of the bentwood boxes next to reconstructed drawings of their designs; many great black-and-white archival photographs; a wonderful chapter on pigments; information on compositional styles and schools; and the work of some contemporary artists. It's a good resource book for anyone who has a dedicated interest in Northwest Coast art. It would be of particular interest for artists, who will find the clarity of the lines to be helpful and the great diversity of the designs to be illuminating.
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