African Elegance

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AFRICAN ELEGANCE
^ I ^he people of sub-Saharan Africa I have created an extraordinarily -1- sophisticated and rich heritage of artistic expression. Their arts and crafts are celebrated the world over, and their elegant objects are highly sought-after. Drawing upon many years of experience and travel in Africa, author Ettagale Blauer interprets the masks and ritual objects that embody a culture's beliefs and values, the beaded ornaments that mark an individual's progress through life and the intricate woven fabrics that chronicle the deeds of warriors and kings. From the vibrant, carved fantasy coffins of Ghana and the treasures made by 16th-century Benin metalsmiths to sleek studies in serpentine crafted by the Shona sculptors of Zimbabwe and the startling visual style of Namibia's Himba people, African Elegance is about how people display themselves, exchange messages and tell stories. It shows how traditional cultures make use of locally available materials and how they adapt... Tovább

Fülszöveg

AFRICAN ELEGANCE
^ I ^he people of sub-Saharan Africa I have created an extraordinarily -1- sophisticated and rich heritage of artistic expression. Their arts and crafts are celebrated the world over, and their elegant objects are highly sought-after. Drawing upon many years of experience and travel in Africa, author Ettagale Blauer interprets the masks and ritual objects that embody a culture's beliefs and values, the beaded ornaments that mark an individual's progress through life and the intricate woven fabrics that chronicle the deeds of warriors and kings. From the vibrant, carved fantasy coffins of Ghana and the treasures made by 16th-century Benin metalsmiths to sleek studies in serpentine crafted by the Shona sculptors of Zimbabwe and the startling visual style of Namibia's Himba people, African Elegance is about how people display themselves, exchange messages and tell stories. It shows how traditional cultures make use of locally available materials and how they adapt to change. Whether the material that is used is wood, stone, beads, paint, metal, fabric or leather, African people continue to make powerful statements about their cultures, their values and their place in the world. African Elegance provides a superb visual record of the arts and crafts of this changing continent.
ISBN 1 85368 970 X
ETTAGALE BLAUER has been writing about crafts and Africa in equal measure for more than twenty years. She has travelled widely in Africa, and has lived in South Africa and Kenya. A native New Yorker, Ettagale received her B.A. from Hunter College, New York. Her numerous publications include a series of books on African nations for Grolier Publishing, as well as South Africa, Coming of Age Under Apartheid (Farrar Strauss & Giroux). She also writes about all aspects of jewellery design - antique, modern and tribal - as well as diamonds and gold, and is the author of Contemporary American Jewelry Design (Chapman and Hall) and American Wristwatches: Five Decades of Style and Design (Schiffer). She lives in New York.
ALAN DONOVAN, the consultant for African Elegance, is managing director and one of the co-founders of Nairobi's African Heritage, the first pan-African gallery on the African continent. Established in 1972, African Heritage now has sixteen outlets in Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar and South Africa. Alan has written many articles on African crafts. He lives In Nairobi, Kenya. Vissza