Mathews, Zena Pearlstone, "Color and Shape in American Indian Art"
Mathews, Zena Pearlstone, "Color and Shape in American Indian Art"
Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art | 1983 | ISBN: 0870993348 | English | PDF | 24 pages | 3.59 Mb
Publisher: Metropolitan Museum of Art | 1983 | ISBN: 0870993348 | English | PDF | 24 pages | 3.59 Mb
The shape of Native American art is determined by Native American society and religion, the basic concepts of which often differ from those of “western” society. Native American languages, for example, have no word for art, as it was considered not a separate activity but an integral part of life. Objects were made to serve the needs of the family and the community and had to meet certain utilitarian or religious criteria. Objects as diverse as cooking vessels and masks of the gods were all connected with the community’s survival. Artistic production, therefore, followed traditional patterns, and change and innovation came about slowly unless the life of the group was disrupted by external events. Religious objects were generally more resistant to change than those of a secular nature.
Mathews, Zena Pearlstone, "Color and Shape in American Indian Art"
