Native visions : evolution in Northwest coast art from the eighteenth through the twentieth century ; [publ. in conjunction with the Exhibition Native Visions, Northwest Coast Art, 18th Century to the Present ; itinerary of the exhibition: Seattle Art Mus

Sparkling with over 200 illustrations, 100 of them in color, of the magnificent art of Northwest Coast Native Americans, this book accompanies a traveling exhibition that originated at the Seattle Art Museum. Brown, associate curator of Native American art for the museum, is particularly interested in examining the chronology shown by changes in design forms. He traces the development of the consistent, dramatic style from the prehistoric era through the classic early 19th-century two-dimensional style to the current revival using variations on old themes. His emphasis on details of variation in design makes the text somewhat pedantic; he doesn’t define much-used terms like formline and negative space, and he presupposes some knowledge of the culture’s history, tribal customs, and mythology. But the art is breathtaking. Frontmatter Halfititle Title Copyright Itinerary of the Exhibition Contents Foreword Acknowledgements Looking Backward: An Introduction An Overview [Map] Culture Groups of the Northwest Coast 1. Ancient Roots: Prehistoric Perspectives on Northwest Coast Art 2. Curious Visions: Northern Northwest Coast Art in the Historic Period 3. Sleeping Treasures: Northwest Coast Art of the Late Historic Period The Southern Region in the Early Historic Period 4. Changing Times: Art of the Early Classic Era, 1820–1865 The Expansion of Northern Northwest Coast Art in the Nineteenth Century Elaboration As an Evolutionary Measure The Southern Traditions in the Early Nineteenth Century The Birth of “Classic” Northern Northwest Coast Art: New Concepts in Two-Dimensional Styles Haida Argillite: Shaping a Carver’s Dream 5. Expanding Traditions: Art of the Late Classic Period, 1865–1920 Formline Fantasy: Varieties of Individual Mastery in Late-Nineteenth-Century Northern Design One Man, Many Traditions: The Art of Charles Edenshaw The Far North in the Late Nineteenth Century Central and Southern Art from the Late Nineteenth and Early Twentieth Centuries 6. Bridging Generations: Northwest Coast Art in the Middle 20th Century, 1920–1965 Ebb tide: Northern Art in the Middle 20th Century The Inter-Tidal World: Southern Art in the Middle 20th Century 7. The Spirit of the Masters: Northwest Coast Art in the Contemporary Period, Since 1965 The Tide Turns: Northwest Coast Art from the Late 1950s Flood Tide: The Northern Renaissance Children of the Masters: Kwakwa̱ka̱ʼwakw Continuity Back to the Roots: Rebirth in the Central Coast Salish Style Epilogue Notes Introduction 1. Ancient Roots: Prehistoric Perspectives on Northwest Coast Art 1–4 5–11 2. Curious Visionss: Northern Northwest Coast Art in the Historic Period 1 2–6 3. Sleeping Treasures: Northwest Coast Art of the Late Prehistoric Period 1–7 8–11 4. Changing Times: Art of the Early Classic Era, 1820–1865 1–5 6–12 13–14 5. Expanding Traditions: Art of the Late Classic Period, 1865–1920 1–4 6. Bridging Generations: Northwest Coast Art in the Middle 20th Century, 1920–1965 1–3 Sources A B C D E F G H J K L M N P Q R S T W Y Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Masks, Bowls, Bentwood Boxes, And Weavings From Native Artists Of The Northwest Coast Grace Museums Around The World. Northwest Coast Art Embodies A Highly Flexible Tradition, Reinterpreted By Individuals In Each Generation, As Is Evidenced By Artifacts Collected From The Area Over The Last Two Centuries. This Richly Informative Book Includes Photographs Of More Than 160 Objects From Seattle Area Private Collections And The Seattle Art Museum, Grouped Chronologically To Illustrate Evolutionary Changes Within The Northwest Coast Art Tradition. This Is A Tradition Of Great Antiquity Which Also Remains Vital And Alive Today In The Work Of The Best Contemporary Northwest Coast Native Artists. Among The Extraordinary Artworks Illustrated In Native Visions Are Archaeological Artifacts And The Earliest Documented Northwest Coast Objects, Collected In The Eighteenth Century, Along With Numerous Pieces By The Nineteenth-century Artist Charles Edenshaw, Masks And Totem Pole Models By Willie Seaweed, And An Unusual Gold Sculpture By Bill Reid. Looking Backward: An Introduction -- 1. Ancient Roots: Prehistoric Perspectives On Northwest Coast Art -- 2. Curious Visions: Northern Northwest Coast Art In The Historic Period -- 3. Sleeping Treasures: Northwest Coast Art Of The Late Prehistoric Period -- 4. Changing Times: Art Of The Early Classic Era, 1820-1865 -- 5. Expanding Traditions: Art Of The Late Classic Period, 1865-1920 -- 6. Bridging Generations: Northwest Coast Art In The Middle 20th Century, 1920-1965 -- 7. The Spirit Of The Masters: Northwest Coast Art In The Contemporary Period, Since 1965. Steven C. Brown ; Photographs By Paul Macapia. Based On An Exhibition Organized By The Seattle Art Museum. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 201-209) And Index. Featuring over two hundred illustrations of Northwest Coast Native American art, examines the chronology shown by changes in design forms and traces style developments from the prehistoric era to the present day.