William Morris: Man Adorned [Hardcover]

Blake Edgar (Author), James Yood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2002

For thousands of years humans have adorned themselves. Adornment figures among the constellation of traits that signify the arrival of modern human behavior in the archaeological record. Werever they ventured, wherever they lived, people have made art and adorments to accompany them in life and death. In this book, artist William Morris celebrates this ancient and universal human quality and continues his exploration of the themes of origin and myth that permeate all his work. At first glance, these glass sculptures signal a striking departure from Morris's oeuvre of canopic jars, animal vessels, assorted artifacts, and imaginative burial installations. Here Morris depicts the people only imagined before. He has put flesh on the bones, and covered the bodies with costumes, jewelry, headdresses, and tattoos. These figures spring forth full of vibrant life in the present, rather than recalling a distant past. The faces and artifacts evoke and sometimes blend elements of Africa, Asia, Oceania, and the Americas, tracing the global migrations of distant ancestors. Morris aims less for realism than for an essence of ethnicity. For more than 20 years, in a career that has brought Morris to the forefront of the modern Studio Glass movement, he has perfected a repertoire of techniques that virtually no other American glass artist can equal.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

"Man adorns in both the world we live in and in the spirit we create and leave behind," asserts American glass artist Morris. What the sculptor offers in these pages are mesmerizing reconstructions of the uniquely human inclination to adorn the human body. The colors are intense, the images alive, the artistry so powerful and revealing of the human spirit that the viewer remains transfixed, subdued by the potent spell of this artist's great gift. Few recent works of art have such a captivating effect. The portrayals scan peoples and continents, from Africa and the Americas to Asia and Oceania. Yet a fundamental humanity emerges, and one can only conclude that Morris has journeyed to the very heart of the human experience. The rich color reproductions are stunning in both their clarity and their vivacity. This work joins Yood's William Morris: Animal/Artifact to give us full coverage of this exciting contemporary artist. Recommended for all public and academic libraries. Edward K. Owusu-Ansah, CUNY Coll. of Staten Island Lib., New York
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Blake Edgar, an editor at the University of California Press, writes about science and culture. James Yood teaches contemporary art theory and criticism at Northwestern University and is a contributing editor to Glass magazine.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 152 pages
• Publisher: University of Washington Press; First Edition edition (March 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0295981849
• ISBN-13: 978-0295981840
• Product Dimensions: 12.3 x 10.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,001,173 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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