Turkish Traditional Art Today (Indiana University Turkish Studies) [Hardcover]

Henry Glassie (Author)

Book Description

Series: Indiana University Turkish Studies | Publication Date: December 22, 1993

This book presents the living arts and artists of Turkey. It is simultaneously an ethnographic inquiry into the nature of art, an introduction to modern Turkey, and a model study of folk art, combining the current theories of folklore, anthropology, cultural geography, and art history. It is also the most comprehensive analysis yet written of a single artistic tradition and the most complete presentation available of the current practice of the great arts of the Middle East, such as the weaving of carpets and shaping of stately ceramics. Glassie ranges widely across media, but concentrates on calligraphy, woodworking, pottery, and carpet weaving. Throughout his focus is on the artists and their theories and practices as well as the art they produce.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

This beautifully produced work examines the traditional folk arts of Turkey: woodwork, carpets, calligraphy, and weaving. The study is concerned with folk art as a living tradition practiced by living artists; individual artists and their works are described, as are traditional techniques, often in great detail. Geographically arranged, this book fully describes various regions, illustrating each with numerous photographs. Juxtaposing photographs of the area with the objects produced there gives an integrated experience and greatly facilitates understanding of the artistic traditions. The quality of reproduction is excellent, and the publisher is most generous with the number of illustrations included. This comprehensive, well-researched, and clearly written survey should be included in every art library.
- Martin Chasin, Adult Inst., Bridgeport, Ct.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"This vast work, approaching a thousand pages, with a comparable number of illustrations, is astonishingly absorbing and easy to read, a rich source of cognitive and affective understanding of a culture at once so far from ours and so intimately close to it, whose insights and principles apply to many artistic traditions in many lands... It is Mr. Glassie's concern with the artist's view of truth, his complete indifference to the elegant pretension of word and thought that to one extent or another has plagued Western historians of art since Vasari, and above all his deep curiosity and willingness to learn and listen from the past and from the present, from the scholar and from the artist, that constitute the miraculous elements of Turkish Traditional Art Today Walter B. Denny, The New York Times Book Review "Turkish Traditional Art Today is a proud and triumphant work ... magnificent" The Turkish Times This beautifully produced work examines the traditional folk arts of Turkey ... comprehensive, well-researched, and clearly written" Library Journal "... a work of monumental significance." Oriental Rug Review

Product Details

• Hardcover: 947 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (December 22, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253325552
• ISBN-13: 978-0253325556
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.9 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #787,074 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Performance by an Usta, October 3, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Turkish Traditional Art Today (Indiana University Turkish Studies) (Hardcover)

I wasn't particularly interested in Turkey prior to reading this book. I was, however, interested in the writing of an ethnographic study of the folklife of potters, weavers, and other artisans. By the time that I finished reading Glassie's rich description of the life and work of the people of Turkey, I found out why he was so amazed at the quality of artwork in this exciting land. To begin to understand the work of the potter, the weaver, the calligrapher, and the woodworker in Turkey, Glassie takes the reader on a pilgrimmage into the Islamic nation. The words, narrative, and rich photographs are the physical manifestations that bring the reader into a shared sense of presence with the artists. By the time I finished reading this fine book, I came to feel as if I was actually experiencing the sense of peace and presence that inspires master artists in Turkey. As I closed the book, I found that I not only was more intrigued by Turkey and Islam, I had gained a glimmer of a shared experience of working as an artist in this nation. Glassie inspires the author by showing that printed words and reproduced photographs in a book can provide a sense of the presence that is evoked when one admires woven rugs, woodwork, and ceramic plates. Through ink he provides a glimmer of the light that shines out from the ceramic glaze covering the pot of a master artist -- or usta -- in a Turkish ceramic studio.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Massive, Authoritative and Comprehensive, December 1, 2007

By 

M. Taplin "mikekoi" (Weston-super-Mare, England) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Turkish Traditional Art Today (Indiana University Turkish Studies) (Hardcover)

This book was delivered in a US Mail Sack and was just short of causing my Postie to have a hernia. My reason for buying this magnificent Tome was because on my first visit to Turkey I was impressed with the quality of their ceramics and pottery. So I sought a guide. At an arcade in Marmaris I found the shop keeper himself had a copy of this work. So I made a note and purchased it. On reading the introduction etc. I was staggered at how little time it took the author to collate this work.
It covers a massive amount and is well worth acquiring if you are interested in Turkish Culture and Craftmanship.