The Western eye continues to be captivated by the powerful message of the African statue, the mystery of the carvings of Oceania, and the implicit aggression of the Toraya statue. Without really understanding the symbolism, art lovers in the West can immediately grasp the indestructible religious element that emanates from each of these works of art. The small world of experts in this area of scholarship is still rent asunder by heated debate as to the correct name for this art: "primitive art," "tribal art," "aboriginal art." The list is endless.
This book presents and analyses the best examples of these arts (mostly from the prestigious Barbier -Mueller collection in Switzerland), and is an invitation to discover their beauty in all it forms, whether in a Nok head from Nigeria, a Batak horseman from northern Sumatra, or a drum from New Guinea.
Richly illustrated, this volume gives readers the opportunity to try to recognize the style and understand then meaning of these anonymous objects that inspire such leading artists and literary figures as Apollinaire, Giacometti, and Picasso from the start of the twentieth century.
