Western Art and the Wider World explores the evolving relationship between the Western canon of art, as it has developed since the Renaissance, and the art and culture of the Islamic world, the Far East, Australasia, Africa and the Americas. * Explores the origins, influences, and evolving relationship between the Western canon of art as it has developed since the Renaissance and the art and culture of the Islamic world, the Far East, Australasia, Africa and the Americas * Makes the case for world art long before the fashion of globalization * Charts connections between areas of study in art that long were considered in isolation, such as the Renaissance encounter with the Ottoman Empire, the influence of Japanese art on the 19th-century French avant-garde and of African art on early modernism, as well as debates about the relation of contemporary art to the past. * Written by a well-known art historian and co-editor of the landmark Art in Theory volumes

Focusing on the prolific trade, transport and consumption of Chinese silk and porcelain, and Japanese lacquer abroad between 1500 and 1644, this groundbreaking book will show how the material cultures of late Ming China and Momoyama/Early Edo Japan on one side of the globe, and Western Europe and the New World on the other, became linked for the first time, through an exchange of luxury Asian manufactured goods for currency. It offers new insight into these multi-layered long-distance commercial networks, which resulted in an unprecedented creation of material culture that reflected influences of both East and West. New research reveals evidence of the trade of these three Asian manufactured goods, first by Portugal and Spain, and later by the trading companies formed by the Northern Netherlands/Dutch Republic and England. Important documentary information is brought to light concerning, for example, the use of Chinese porcelain in Western Europe, and the objects made to order in European shapes for the Dutch and English trading companies in Japan and China. The study also sheds light on both the trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific commercial trading networks through which these Asian goods circulated, as well as the way in which these goods were acquired, used and appreciated by the Portuguese, Spanish, Dutch and English societies in Western Europe and the multi-ethnic societies of the European colonies in the New World and Asia. 400 illustrations of extant examples of Chinese silks and porcelains, along with Japanese lacquers of the period, complement the information gleaned from archival and textual material. In the case of Chinese porcelain, a large number of the examples illustrated are provided by archaeological finds from European shipwrecks, survival campsites, colonial settlements in Asia, the New World and the Caribbean, and their respective mother countries in Western Europe. Breaking new ground in its comparative study of the impact these European trading empires or companies had on the material cultures of China and Japan, this book shows the influence that the European merchants and missionaries exerted on the goods made specifically to order for them in both China and Japan. It also traces the worldwide circulation of these luxury objects, which were intended for secular and religious use in European settlements in Asia, and their respective mother countries in Western Europe and colonies in the New World. More importantly, this book shows that these specific orders led to the creation of a wide variety of hybrid manufactured goods in both China and Japan, which combined elements from very different and distant cultures, reflecting the fascinating and complex East-West cultural exchanges that occurred in the early modern period.

This concise survey showcases the work of Australia's indigenous artists from all parts of the continent. From Arnhem Land and the desert, the Kimberley and northern Queensland, to modern towns and cities, Aboriginal artists have built on traditions that stretch back at least 50,000 years, working in a variety of contexts from the sacred and secret realm of ceremony to more public spheres. Work across all media is included, from painting, sculpture, engraving, constructions and weaving to the most recent work in photography, printmaking and textile design. The story of Aboriginal art is brought into the 21st century in this revised and expanded third edition with a new chapter that maps the latest developments across each of Australia's geographical regions. Updated information and more than twenty-five new illustrations highlight, among other things, the impact of urban living, the growth of local art centres which support the work of indigenous artists, and the rise of women artists - all testifying to Aboriginal art's continued dynamism and vitality.

Mount Fuji has been a source of inspiration and awe since ancient times, and artists have been reproducing its likeness since at least the 14th century, as it became a key motif in all aspects of Japanese culture. The 19th century Ukiyo-e woodblock prints of important artists such as Hokusai and Hiroshige continued this reverence, creating series of beautiful images of landscape and society, with the mountain ever-present. With the slight relaxing of Japan's isolationist policies, artists discovered Western art and exploited its styles and perspectives, and, in turn, Western artists from Monet to van Gogh were influenced by the bold and distinctive print style, which filtered into their work. This gorgeous new book discusses the fascinating history of Fuji as featured in these prints, and reproduces numerous examples of the stunning and timeless artworks, some in their complete series.

Flying Carpets, the seventh volume produced as part of Drago's continuing collaboration with the French Academy in Rome - Villa Medici, is the catalog for the exhibition of the same name, on display from May 30th through October 21st, 2012. The book, edited by Philippe-Alain Michaud, is made up of 144 pages with over 70 images and includes introductions by ric de Chassey, director of the French Academy in Rome and Oliver Michelon, Director of the Mus e des Abattoirs of Toulouse, as well as a critical essay by the author. While modernist tradition maintains that the carpet was used as a paradigm for the affirmation of flatness in painting, the contrary may also be said; the flying carpet can be envisaged as a way of introducing movement in surfaces that, by using the properties of expansion and rotation, produces effects of floating, disorientation or disequilibrium. Much like the flying carpet, cinema can also involve properties or forces aimed at bringing surfaces to life - unwinding, projecting, editing - that go beyond the simple projection of a space standardized by the norms of theatricality. Thus, both the exhibition and catalogue bring together and compare real carpets and films. Carpets that, according to their function, texture or composition, produce an effect that enlivens the surfaces, and films that in this way can be reconsidered from the ornamental point of view: monochrome compositions evoking the undefined linear traces of Navajo blankets (Paul Sharits, Nothing), blades of grass, leaves and insect wings are directly stuck like a cinematographic equivalent of garden carpets (Stan Brakhage, Mothlight), positive/negative inversions producing an effect identical to that of retractable motifs (Peter Kubelka, Adebar), overlapping borders (Hans Richter, Rhythm 21), ..

At a time when interest in China has never been greater, this revised edition of Mary Tregear's authoritative survey of the Chinese visual arts will be welcomed by art lovers, students and travellers alike. Generously illustrated and eminently readable, it covers not only bronzes, jades, calligraphy and painting, but also Buddhist sculpture, ceramics, textiles, metalwork, lacquer, garden design and architecture. For the revised edition, all Chinese names, places and terms have been romanized to current international usage. Throughout, information has been updated in view of recent finds, and the book contains new illustrations, a revised introduction and a new final chapter on twentieth-century art. An invaluable chronology of Chinese historical periods is included, together with six maps.

Ars Judaica is an annual publication of the Department of Jewish Art at Bar-Ilan University. It showcases the Jewish contribution to the visual arts and architecture from antiquity to the present from a variety of perspectives, including history, iconography, semiotics, psychology, sociology, and folklore. As such it is a valuable resource for art historians, collectors, curators, and all those interested in the visual arts. Contributors: Matthew Baigell, Rutgers University of New Jersey, Batya Brutin, Beit Berl Academic College, Zofit, Warren Zev Harvey, Department of Jewish Thought, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Moshe Idel, Shalom Hartman Institute, Jerusalem; Department of Jewish Thought, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Sara Offenberg, Department of Jewish Art, Bar-Ilan University, Nils Roemer, University of Texas at Dallas, Debra Higgs Strickland, School of Culture and Creative Arts, University of Glasgow, Annette Weber, Hochschule fur Judische Studien, Heidelberg Volumes of Ars Judaica are distributed by the Littman Library of Jewish Civilization throughout the world, except Israel. Orders and enquiries from Israeli customers should be directed to: Ars Judaica Department of Jewish Art Bar-Ilan University Ramat-Gan 52900 telephone 03 5318413 fax 03 6359241 email [email protected]

Discover the rarified Peranakan (native-born Chinese of Southeast Asia) aesthetics that are today highly sought-after for their beauty: distinctive furniture and ceramics, textiles and jewellery, and many other art objects. Peranakan Chinese Home displays these extraordinary objects, visible markers of a highly developed culture. The broad range of beautiful objects which the Peranakan Chinese created and enjoyed in their daily lives is astounding. Each chapter in Peranakan Chinese Home focuses on a different area and presents objects used or found in those spaces. Each piece is described in the context of their utility as household objects, as part of periodic celebrations to mark the Chinese New Year and other holidays, or in important life passage rituals relating to ancestor worship, birth, marriage, mourning and burial. The meaning of the rich symbolic and ornamental motifs found on the objects is discussed in detail and key differences are highlighted between Peranakan objects and similar ones found in China. A fascinating mix of Chinese, European and Southeast Asian influences, the distinctly Peranakan identity of a people and their culture is beautifully portrayed through objects and archival photographs in this lovely and exotic book.

The art and artists of Harlem: Found Ways represent the place and its people, burnishing Harlem's luster but never attempting to smooth its rough edges. The works in the exhibition span a variety of media to explore the invention of Harlem and, at the same time, reinvent it. Artists in the exhibition Harlem: Found Ways, at the Ethelbert Cooper Gallery of African & African American Art in Cambridge, MA, from 24 May to 15 July, 2017, included Dawoud Bey, Abigail DeVille, Glenn Ligon, Howard Tangye, Nari Ward, and Kehinde Wiley. The exhibition also included items from the Harlem Postcards project at The Studio Museum in Harlem. This catalog features essays, including a foreword by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., that contemplate the uniquely layered urban landscape of Harlem, a city within a city. Vibrantly illustrated with objects from the exhibition, the catalog itself is an important resource for students of contemporary African American art and of the city.

Museums are frequently sites of struggle and negotiation. They are key cultural institutions that occupy an oftentimes uncomfortable place at the crossroads of the arts, culture, various levels of government, corporate ventures, and the public. Because of this, museums are targeted by political action but can also provide support for contentious politics. Though protests at museums are understudied, they are far from anomalous. Tear Gas Epiphanies traces the as-yet-untold story of political action at museums in Canada from the early twentieth century to the present. The book looks at how museums do or do not archive protest ephemera, examining a range of responses to actions taking place at their thresholds, from active encouragement to belligerent dismissal. Drawing together extensive primary-source research and analysis, Robertson questions widespread perceptions of museums, strongly arguing for a reconsideration of their role in contemporary society that takes into account political conflict and protest as key ingredients in museum life. The sheer number of protest actions Robertson uncovers is compelling. Ambitious and wide-ranging, Tear Gas Epiphanies provides a thorough and conscientious survey of key points of intersection between museums and protest - a valuable resource for university students and scholars, as well as arts professionals working at and with museums.

Focusing on the work of Italian artists Lucio Fontana, Alberto Burri, and Piero Manzoni, Jaleh Mansoor demonstrates and reveals how abstract painting in post-WWII Italy critiqued the economic violence of the Marshall Plan and American hegemony, broke with fascist-associated futurism, and anticipated Italian social unrest in the 1960 and 1970s.

One of the last great names in the Japanese "ukiyo-e" style, Utagawa Kuniyoshi was an undisputed master of the warrior woodblock print. Born in Tokyo in 1797, his talent became evident by the tender age of 12, when he became an apprentice to a famous print master. Starting out with vivid illustrations of cultural icons -- including Kabuki actors and Japanese heroes -- he moved on to a unique treatment of warrior prints, incorporating elements of dreams, omens, and daring feats that characterized his distinctive style. These dramatic eighteenth-century illustrations represent the pinnacle of his craft. One hundred and one full-color portraits of legendary samurai pulse with movement, passion, and remarkably fine detail. A must for collectors of Japanese art and a perfect first work for those who want to start their own collection, it includes brief captions and a new introduction.

For centuries the nature and meaning of Islamic art has been misunderstood in the West, being regarded as no more than decoration. But in fact the abstract art of Islam represents the sophisticated development of a supra-naturalistic tradition, since the portrayal of human and animal forms has always been discouraged by the Prophet Muhammad, so as to avoid idolatry. Hence, among the world's great artistic traditions, Islamic art has maintained its singular integrity and inner content with the least diversion from its aim: the affirmation of unity as expressed in diversity. The Pythagorean/Platonic doctrines are easily recognizable in the body of Islamic geometric art, as the wisdom of this practice was exalted by Socrates, in Plato's Republic dialogue (527), when he specifically gave the reason for practising geometry. Its practice rekindled the inner organ (or eye of wisdom) by which alone we can see the truth. The geometrical patterns of Islamic art reveal to the eye of the sensitive onlooker the intrinsic cosmological laws affecting all Creation. The primary function of these patterns is to lead the mind from the literal and mundane world towards the underlying permanent reality. The numerous sequential drawings show how the art of Islam is inseparable from the science of mathematics. Thus, we can see clearly how an Earth-centred - 'common-sense' - view of the cosmos gives renewed signficance to the number patterns produced by the orbits of the planets, correlating the cosmos as experienced by man with the patterns created in Islamic art, and thereby throwing new light on the perennial symbolic significance of number. The mathematical tessellations inherent in space-filling patterns are revealed as an essential practical and philosophical basis for the creation of each completed work of art - whether a tile, a carpet, a wall or an entire building - and thus affirm the underlying essential unity of all things.

Ars Judaica is an annual publication of the Department of Jewish Art at Bar-Ilan University. It showcases the Jewish contribution to the visual arts and architecture from antiquity to the present from a variety of perspectives, including history, iconography, semiotics, psychology, sociology, and folklore. As such it is a valuable resource for art historians, collectors, curators, and all those interested in the visual arts. In this volume, Sarit Shalev-Eyni considers the Mahzor as a cosmological calendar, while Katrin Kogman-Appel looks at the work of Elisha ben Abraham, known as Cresques, in fourtheenth-century Mallorca. Evelyn M. Cohen discusses a surprising model for Charlotte Rothschild's Haggadah of 1842 and Ronit Sternberg examines sampler embroidery past and present as an expression of merging Jewish identity. Jechezkiel David Kirszenbaum's exploration of personal displacementis the subject of an article by Caroline Goldberg Igra, and the Great Synagogue on Tlomackie Street in Warsaw one by Eleanora Bergman. The Special Item by Sergey R. Kravtsov and Vladimir Levin is devoted to Perek Shirah on a wall of the Great Synagogue in Radyvyliv. The volume also includes book reviews and an appreciation of the life of Alfred Moldovan by William L. Gross. Contributors: Ziva Amishai-Maisels, Professor, History of Art Department, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Eleonora Bergman, Emanuel Ringelbaum Jewish Historical Institute, Warsaw, Evelyn M. Cohen, Professor, Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), New York, Caroline Goldberg Igra, Guest Curator, Beit Hatfusot, Tel Aviv, William L. Gross, Collector, Tel Aviv, Katrin Kogman-Appel, Professor, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beersheva, Sergey R. Kravtsov, Center for Jewish Art, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Vladimir Levin, Center for Jewish Art, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Sarit Shalev-Eyni, History of Art Department, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Larry Silver, History of Art Department, University of Pennsylvania, Ronit Steinberg, History and Theory Department, Bezalel Academy of Arts and design, Jerusalem Volumes of Ars Judaica are distributed by the Littman Library of Jewish Civilization throughout the world, except Israel. Orders and enquiries from Israeli customers should be directed to: Ars Judaica Department of Jewish Art Bar-Ilan University Ramat-Gan 52900 telephone 03 5318413 fax 03 6359241 email [email protected]

Offering a concise introduction of the invention and development of Chinese characters the book teases out the glyphic characteristics and rules for creating different calligraphic styles; visualizes the glyphic evolution of 132 commonly used characters and analyses a selection of over 60 outstanding type designs of renowned designers. It will enable designers to maximize the expression value of Chinese characters in visuals! Recent years have witnessed a Chinese character design boom, with influential activities popping up one after another across Asia. Institutions such as The Central Academy of Fine Arts, Just Fonts, 3type, Mojijuku have launched courses for Chinese character design. Meanwhile, various exhibitions, lectures, seminars, and competitions, online or offline, are popular with young designers. The innovative use of Chinese characters as main visual elements in design, such as brand identity, logos, books, and posters, enjoys growing trend globally. On the other hand, the cultural uniqueness of Chinese characters demands a sound understanding of its history from designers.

Masks are an ancient tradition of the Alutiiq people on the southern coast of Alaska. Alutiiq artists carved the masks from wood or bark into images of ancestors, animal spirits, and other mythological forces; these extraordinary creations have been an essential tool for communicating with the spirit world and have played an important role in dances and hunting festivities for centuries. "Giinaquq--Like a Face" presents thirty-three full-color images of these fantastic and eye-catching masks, which have been preserved for more than a century as part of the Pinart Collection in a small French museum. These masks, collected in 1871 by a young French scholar of indigenous cultures, are presented for the first time in their complete cultural context, celebrating the rich history of the Alutiiq people and their artistic traditions. In addition to the stunning photographs, "Giinaquq--Like a Face" includes an informative text in three languages--English, Alutiiq, and French--in order to provide a cross-cultural understanding of the masks' traditional meaning and use. This captivating and revealing book will be an essential resource for anyone interested in indigenous art and culture.

Painting Circles addresses the changing professional milieu of artists in early 20th century Japan, particularly the development of new social roles and networks, and how these factors informed the development of artistic identity. The focus of the study is the Nihonga painter Tsuchida Bakusen (1887-1936), who in 1918 founded an exhibition collective, the Kokuga Society, in response to increasing dissatisfaction with the nation's government-sponsored exhibition salon. The study examines efforts by Bakusen and company to establish an independent position vis-a-vis the arts establishment by demonstrating their reflexive knowledge of Western modernist art movements on the one hand, and on the other, by showing their deep commitment to preserving traditional Japanese painting themes, media and techniques into the 20th century.

A study of a largely forgotten optical device and its relation to notions of opacity, transparency, and imagination. In this first full-length study of a largely forgotten optical device from the eighteenth century, Arnaud Maillet reconfigures our historical understanding of visual experience and meaning in relation to notions of opacity, transparency, and imagination. Many are familiar with the Claude glass as a small black convex mirror used by artists and spectators of landscape to reflect a view and make tonal values and areas of light and shade visible. In a groundbreaking account, Maillet goes well beyond this particular function of the glass and situates it within a richer archaeology of Western thought, exploring the uncertainties and anxieties about mirrors, reflections, and their potential distortions. He takes us from the magical and occult background of the "black mirror," through a full evaluation of its importance in the age of the picturesque, to its persistence in a range of technological and representational practices, including photography, film, and contemporary art. The Claude Glass is a lasting contribution to the history of Western visual culture.

The Qur'an makes rich references to light, tying it to revelation, and light consequently permeates the culture and visual arts of the Islamic lands. God Is the Light of the Heavens and the Earth explores the integral role of light in Islamic civilization across a wide range of media, from the Qur'an and literature to buildings, paintings, performances, photography, and other works produced over the past 14 centuries. A team of international experts conveys current scholarship on Islamic art in a manner that is engaging and accessible to the general reader. The objects discussed include some of the first identifiable works of Islamic art-modest oil lamps inscribed in Arabic, which developed into elaborately decorated metal and glass lamps and chandeliers. Later, photography, which creates images with light, was readily adopted in Islamic lands, and it continues to provide inspiration for contemporary artists. Generously illustrated with specially commissioned, sumptuous color photographs, this book shows the potential of light to reveal color, form, and meaning.

In revolutionary and wartime societies, propaganda is considered a vital part of education and political participation. Propaganda encourages or condemns; reinforces existing attitudes and behaviour; promotes social membership within nation, class or work unit. Where political transformation (communist revolution, end of colonial rule) has occurred before widespread modernization, with the majority population illiterate, art was the most effective way to communicate the message. Drawing on the British Museum's wide-ranging collections, this intriguing and thought-provoking catalogue provides a fascinating contextual survey of political art across Asia, covering the period from approximately 1900 to 1976 (the end of the Cultural Revolution and Mao's death; the end of the Vietnam War).

Despite China's long tradition of venerating the past as the ultimate source of cultural authority, the discourse of antiquity prior to the Song period (960-1279) demonstrated little concern for ancient objects. With a focus on physical artifacts of the past, Song intellectuals began a new discipline, "the study of bronze and stone" (jinshixue), that generated collections of items such as bronze vessels and bells, stone steles, and ink rubbings of inscriptions carved or cast on objects. This first comprehensive study in English of the Song antiquarian movement and how it refashioned the distant past uses textual and material evidence to examine this development, which has had long-lasting influence on Chinese intellectual history and on the preservation of material objects. In addition to collecting and comparing artifacts, Song antiquaries compiled extensive catalogs that included drawings, measurements, and meticulous descriptions. Their studies have contributed to the way history has been documented since the eleventh century and serve as a basis for archaeology of the modern period. Bronze and Stone contextualizes the Song antiquarian movement among previous Chinese engagements with antiquity, subsequent popular interest in ancient objects, and world antiquarianism.