High atop the Southern mountains lived the Appalachian settlers. They were people unconcerned with convention who lived removed from the throes of civilization for more than a century. From mighty blacksmiths to prized basket-makers, their crafts were well suited to a remote existence, giving them 'the tools to tame the wilderness.'<br><br>Hand thrown pottery preserved and transported food. Cornhusk dolls lent amusement to children's playtime. Chair making and woodcarving added beauty and functionality to the home, and the celebrated art of the coverlet was a legacy of tradition and hard work.<br><br>Though early Appalachian society was prosperous, the technology of the Industrial Revolution presented new challenges. Potters fell victim to highway robbers and was then replaced by glass and metal containers. These new materials infiltrated rural markets and served as better storage alternatives. In addition, the one-person art of the coverlet was forever changed when Francis Goodrich's Allanstand Cottage Industries sought to commercialize its production and circulate the coverlet to the general public. This increased exposure led to the development of faster production techniques and resulted in economic hardship for the hill country.<br><br>Museographs' Appalachian Handicrafts records the development of these American craftsmen and –women, from humble beginnings to modern success stories. Extensive biographies introduce you to major figures within the society, such as Daniel Boone and Alvin and Trevele Wood. This cleverly written document illustrates, with personal flair, how evolving Highland art has thrived in both its early and its current forms.<br>
Grounded in the maintenance of balance and the pursuit of peace, the Cherokee Nation has always had a difficult task. In The Cherokee accompany these Principle People on their quest – from the first 1,000 years of harmony preceding conflict with DeSoto in 1540 to the present-day resurgence of tribal unity.<br><br>The Cherokee's pre-contact world was peaceful and often unrecognized or misrepresented by American history books. It encompassed a deep reverence for nature and commitment to equality between men and women that acknowledged certain strengths and weaknesses of the sexes, but was devoid of shame. The systems of war, religion, and justice encouraged prudent thought and action and frowned upon carelessness and waste.<br><br>The approach of whites threw a wrench into their peaceful balance and forced the Cherokee into a series of never-ending land disputes, a battery of inhumane and unjust treatment, and a process of decision-making that would profoundly impact the next several hundred years of their history.<br><br>After undergoing a long period of suffering culminating in The Trail of Tears of 1839, certain Cherokee, known as 'the Progressives,' made a conscious decision to embrace white culture. These Cherokee were able to remain in the East while most of their brethren were marched West to the wastelands of Oklahoma. In the short term, this sparked a period of achievement called the Renaissance, where the Eastern Cherokee attained literacy, saw economic prosperity, clung to a portion of their ancestral lands, and forged a much needed strength and nationalism.<br><br>In the long term the choice would show them to be an exceedingly adaptable and flexible union. Faced with complete tribal bifurcation at the hands of "the Traditionalists" who opposed the decision, and with elimination due to removal and disease, the Cherokee persevered. Empowered by pride and fueled with a desire to restore harmony again, they regrouped and fought for the signing at Red Clay. It is here that a common Cherokee culture was reinstated and harmony and balance restored – at least for now.
Escape to the perfect world! A world where prejudice is passé, order is normal, and function is favored. This is the world of the Shakers.<br><br>Best-known as an eighteenth-century utopian religious community, and often liken to the Amish, few are aware of the many accomplishments that are distinctly Shaker. Shakers have excelled as architects and chemists, craftsmen and inventors. During a twenty-five-year heyday they had a hand in everything from circular saws to textiles, decorative boxes, and home furnishings. Museographs' Shaker Design explores the depth of some of their many achievements. It preserves the integrity and uniqueness of the community dispelling misconceptions about these God-fearing few.<br><br>A special focus on the dearly loved and ever recognizable Shaker chair celebrates technical precision, beauty and variety that stands as a testament to God's presence in both Shaker lifestyle and in Shaker art.
If you are searching for a succinct yet thorough introduction to Mexican painting in the modern age, you have arrived. Spanning more than 150 years of history, Mexican Painting: Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries is academically formidable, yet captivating and accessible to every reader.<br><br>Learn the role that the Academy of San Carlos played in dictating tastes and in reforming public arts of architecture, portraiture, and decorative painting. Delve further into the debate between the established, conservative nineteenth-century Academy, and a newly emerging and more liberal twentieth-century Academia de Belles Artes designed to reflect a rise in secularization and an abandonment of traditional faith. Witness the inception of art criticism and gallery openings, the development of plein air technique and the integration of Art Nouveau.<br><br>This issue contains beautiful plates including the renowned Dance in Tehuantepec by Diego Rivera and the Candelabrum of Oaxaca by Jose Maria Velasco. It provides a consummate survey of nineteenth- and twentieth-century Mexican painting in a scholarly and an artistic sense.
Amid the armed conflict and broken treaty signings of nineteenth-century America, the highly successful horse culture of the plains, the Sioux Indians clutched to their way of life. Composed of three major groups and spread over six states, the Sioux represent a community divided. Much of their traditional world view and custom was overshadowed by the white man's quest for the dominance of Western civilization. Still, a highly developed sense of tribal pride coupled with a warrior spirit has safeguarded the Sioux against complete assimilation and cultural elimination.<br><br>Chronicle this Western tribe's enduring history with The Sioux. Understand the true scope of the white man's debilitating influence, which while leading initially to a richer vocabulary, a more practical economic system, and lasting contributions to traditional dress, was also later responsible for the horrific 1890 Wounded Knee Massacre.<br><br>Though such imposed change might have permanently crushed the spirit of a people, the Sioux have seen a cultural renaissance and thrive today on seven reservations throughout the United States and Canada. Traditional practice has resumed its place in such events as the modern Powwow and the Grass Dance. Costumes originating in the nineteenth-century reflect ethnic vitality and bear the graceful integration between tribal materials and European trader goods to the present. Most importantly, that warrior spirit remains replenished and unshaken, proving a valuable lesson in conquering adversity and in the self-assertion of both individual and collective identities of a people.
Despite a current trend toward individuality and cultural disparity, the fact remains that we have powerful tools that unite us all – our collective imagination, hunger for explanations, and the artistic images that they inspire. Irrespective of geographical location or industrial advancement, people from every corner of the globe cling to the myths, legends and stories that have organized and continue to organize whole societies, dictated religious and moral ideologies, and explained the mysteries of the universe.<br><br>Museographs' Art, Myth, Legend and Story invites you to indulge your mythic side! Develop a better understanding of the origins and purposes of these beloved creations, and familiarize yourself with the themes and characters that make them possible. Meet Tiddalik, the Australian frog who was so thirsty he drank all the water in the land, leaving nothing for his creature friends. The White Serpent, one of the most popular surviving Chinese legends, or taste Forbidden Fruit with an African tale that explains the origin of the serpent found in creation accounts.<br><br>Peruse bold images such as Herakles on a Greek vase, the life-giving Toltec rain god, Tlaloc, and Benjamin West's painting, Noah Sacrificing After the Deluge.<br><br>This issue is as visually striking as it is textually informative. It consolidates and impressive selection of cross-cultural myths, legends and stories accompanied by relevant and powerful images. As an integral reference tool or as a beautiful compendium for the art and story enthusiast, it supplies a list of additional myths, legends, stories, and artistic renderings found in other volumes of the Museographs collection.
Before the printing press introduced the notion of mass production to the Renaissance world, the written word was one of spiritual significance and unfathomable mystique. Sacred texts predominated and books were acceptable means of procuring religious thought. As harbinger of the book, the Illuminated Manuscript maintains a well-respected place in literary and artistic history, as well as in the record of human progress and creativity.<br><br>Museograph's Illuminated Manuscripts gives rare scholarly attention to these Judeo-Christian, Islamic, and secular masterpieces. From the Byzantine Period to the Renaissance, it outlines the evolution of this textual art form. Religious themes that were common to illuminated texts for over one thousand years became progressively outnumbered as literacy spread beyond the religious community. Books were slowly evolving from status symbols to learning tools. The decorative content of illuminations also advanced through history's course. Virtually without border in the Byzantine Period, manuscripts resonated and simplicity befitting religious ceremonies and houses of worship. By the Romanesque Period, the appearance of the Bestiary indicated that a shift was on the horizon. The Winchester border, with its heavy frame and ornate gold bars, was wild with foliage and whimsical in its combination of human and bestial figures. Illuminated design gone organic!<br><br>Illuminated Manuscripts is a sensory treasure of image and word. Subjects within this monograph embody a rich interdisciplinary history and continue to grow alongside man as his understanding of what is beautiful deepens and his ability to express it is actualized.
Experience desert-dwelling at its most vibrant! From the essential features of a mosque to a wide assemblage of colorful edifices designed to offset monochromatic and infertile landscapes, Islamic art encompasses an impressive scope of mediums and styles. Some traditions mirror regional tastes that span from Spain and Morocco in the West to Central Asia and India in the East, still others connote the trademark aptness of color, shape, and pattern for which Islamic art is universally known.<br><br>Let "Islamic Art: A Survey" start you on the road to appreciating the complexity of Islamic imagery. Investigate the Qu'ran's (Koran's) ideological and decorative influence–from moral codes to the absence of sculpture and the silhouetting of characters on murals or illustrated stories with Biblical and prophetic themes. This astonishingly eclectic monograph has it all! The pottery, calligraphy, and metalwork represent benchmark achievements that will blow your mind! Perfect as a rainy day read to enliven your senses and whet your appetite for intriguing and stimulating knowledge.
Just uttering the word Jerusalem results in an automatic change in the state of mind for Jews, Christians and Muslims. Their individual and collective history in this city–a holy place for all three of the great monotheistic faiths–has covered over three thousand years but Jerusalem's history extends two millennia farther in the sands of time.<br><br>The Old City of Jerusalem surveys the City of Peace and her inhabitants from the Canaanite Period through the Ottoman Empire in 1917. You will travel from the Pre-Davidic period with stops during the establishment of the Jewish nation, the conquest of Hellenism, the Hasmoneans, Jerusalem as a Roman outpost, the extravagance of the Byzantine period, the capture of the City during the First Muslim period, the Crusader period and once again to Muslim rule. The monograph includes beautiful color plates picturing objects from the various periods.
The tradition of African-American Folk Art is vast and diverse. With roots that extend overseas, these traditions now flourish and continue to bloom into the twenty-first century. In Contemporary African-American Folk Art, trace the development of such mediums as wood carving, pottery, quilt making and painting.<br><br>Learn the significance of slave Henry Gudgell, whose artistic mastery is still hailed as some of the best surviving examples of African-American wood carving.<br><br>See how random scraps of cloth from 'the big house' transform into geometric wonders such as 'The Wedding Ring' and 'The Triangle.' Just two of America's favorite quilt patterns, they are often still showcased today at Southern quilting bees.<br><br>Complete with informative text and seven vibrant prints, this issue includes biographical summaries of major contributors to the field of African-American Folk Art.