AMERICAN INDIAN ART by Norman Feder [SOLD]

The dynamic art and fine craftsmanship of the North American Indian are often considered expressions of an interesting but vanishing primitive culture. Yet the high degree of sophistication of much of this art, the endless variations of motifs, and the sheer aesthetic beauty of many of these works warrant continual reconsideration.

American Indian Art is a study of the whole range of artistic expression of these vital peoples-the pottery and silverwork of the Pueblos of the Southwest, the wooden masks of the Eskimo and the Tlingit, the beadwork of the Plains and Pacific Plateau tribes, and the basketry of the California natives, to name only a few. The volume is beautifully illustrated with more than 300 reproductions, including 60 plates in full color.

Norman Feder, former Curator of American Indian Art at the Denver Art Museum, has accepted the challenge of dealing with a subject whose source material is woefully scant. Approaching his topic from the point of view of the art objects themselves, he manages to make a comprehensive whole of a subject burdened with disparities. In connected sections, he explores such aspects of American Indian art as its origins, its stylistic variations from tribe to tribe, the materials used, the ecological aspects involved, and the future of this art....

- From the Jacket

AMERICAN INDIAN ART

by Norman Feder

Harry Abrams, Inc, New York

Hardback with slip cover, 1982. 445 pages and over 200 illustrations

Contents

List of Plates

INTRODUCTION

Scope of the book

INDIAN ART

Origins of Indian Art

Difficulty of Identifying Tribal Styles

Use of Materials and Techniques

Ecology versus Art

Why Artistic Production

Change versus Stability

The Indian Artist

Commercialization versus Decadence

Future Prospects

INDIAN ART BY CULTURE AREAS

The Plains

The Southwest

     -The Southern Athabascans

     -The Racheria Tribes

California

The Great Basin and the Pacific Plateau

The Pacific Northwest Coast

The Arctic Coast

The Woodlands