| Details | | Publication Date: | 1998-06-25 | | Series: | Oxford History of Art Series |
| Size | | Length: | 319 pages | | Height: | 9.5 in | | Width: | 7.0 in | | Thickness: | 0.8 in | | Weight: | 26.4 oz |
Publisher's Note
From its origins in early 18th century slave communities to the end of the 20th century, African-American art has made a vital contribution to the art of the United States. This book provides a major reassessment of the subject, setting the art in the context of the African-American experience. 70 color illustrations. 5 linecuts.
Industry Reviews
Patton has written an excellent and comprehensive introduction to the historical development of African American visual art. She provides much new information on the art making of both slaves and freemen in the 18th and 19th century while later providing a broad art-historical context for black modernists. Pointing out that crafts did not necessarily precede fine art making during slavery, she examines African retentions (and Indian influences) in 18th-century black ceramics and architecture; black women and quilting; abolitionism and the rise of black landscape painters like Robert Duncanson; and sculptor Edmonia Lewis's black expatriate neoclassicism. Turning to generally better- documented 20th-century black artists, Patton arguably provides the first clear discussion of the relationship (both social and aesthetic) of black modernists to the prevailing mainstream artists and art movements of their time. As is perhaps inevitable, Patton's discussion of the contemporary art scene, while quite competent, is defined as much by the artists she fails to mention as by those she chooses to include. Well researched, scrupulously documented and organized, this lucidly written, fully illustrated book also includes numerous useful sidebars defining art movements, issues or individuals. (July)
Lopate
Several decades of increasing scholarly attention to African American art have led to this excellent survey by Patton (art history and African American studies, Univ. of Michigan). The book provides a chronological examination of the development of African American art from its earliest manifestations to the present day. Eschewing the approach taken in many previous books, Patton deemphasizes individual artists' biographies, instead focusing on African American art in its historical-political-cultural setting and its relationship to three centuries of Euro-American art historical trends. Similarly, another recent survey, Richard Powell's Black Art and Culture in the 20th Century in the "World of Art" series (Thames & Hudson, 1997) features thematic and iconographic analysis. Given its high-quality illustrations (most in color), its well-written, accessible text, and its obvious value as a textbook, this is highly recommended for any library with an interest in art and/or ethnic studies. Eugene C. Burt, Art Inst. of Seattle Lib.
Kakutani
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