Arts of the Pacific islands

Summary: Anne D'Alleva explores the myriad art traditions and practices of Island Melanesia, Polynesia, Micronesia, and New Guinea from within their own cultural context. The ways that these cultures have altered and developed, changed and endured over time make for an absorbing study; their history has been marked by both long periods of isolation and moments of dramatic contact with the colonizing West. Given this complex past, the role of the contemporary artist in the Pacific is especially interesting: an ambiguous and difficult balance between tradition and modernity.

Record details

ISBN: 0810927225
ISBN: 9780810927223
Physical Description: print
176 pages : illustrations (some color), map ; 24 cm.
Publisher: New York : H.N. Abrams, ©1998.

Content descriptions

Bibliography, etc. Note:	Includes bibliographical references (pages 167-170) and index.
Formatted Contents Note:	Introduction : the power of Pacific art -- New Guinea : where ornaments are bright -- Island Melanesia : the path of peace -- Polynesia : where sharks walk on land -- Micronesia : the path of the house -- Conclusion : tradition and power in contemporary Pacific art.