Product Description
From the foremost collection of the artist's work, a remarkable portrait of Native American life.

In 1832, George Catlin—showman, entrepreneur, and artist—made the first of four trips into Indian country, painting as he went, in a wonderfully spontaneous, if somewhat naive style. His ambition was to paint every tribe. He fell short. But what he did achieve, and the subject of this splendid volume, is a remarkable look into the faces and daily activities of Native Americans before their lands and their numbers were so radically diminished. And while Catlin was clearly influenced by the idea that Indians were Noble Savages (rapidly acquiring the vices of the white man while losing their "savage" virtues), his passion for his work is evidence of a profound respect and affection for his subjects, clearly demonstrated in this magnificent book. 275 illustrations, 150 in color. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

essential
george catlin's indian gallery depicts what america lost in both humanity and landscape. there is no equivalent directly observed attestation to the life, customs and habitat of the vanished north american indigenous peoples.
catlin's work is a gift to historical record of the highest significance. it is consistent with the essential nature of the content that the quality of this publication is outstanding in design and reproduction.

Wonderful Edition
This book has a nice variety of the collection of George Catlin paintings, along with a few of the artifacts from his collection.Most of these are reproduced in color in this book.The text is also well written and tells the story of Catlin, his paintings, and the view point of the era.

George Catlin and His Indian Gallery
This is a gorgeous book, filled with magnificent reproductions of Catlin's seminal portraits and augmented by a trenchant and insightful commentary.

Superb collection of Catlin's paintings
This is a wonderful book!It accompanies an exhibit of hundreds of Catlin's paintings held in Washington DC in 2002, and scheduled to travel to several other cities.The reproductions are superb (the best I've ever seen) - the colors are true, and the sizes are often full-page and sometimes double-page.A brief commentary accompanies each painting, and there are also lengthy essays describing Catlin's life, his time in Europe, and his connection with the Smithsonian.
I bought Letters and Notes on the Manners, Customs, etc at the same time that I bought this book, and I read the two of them together.The paintings are immeasurably enhanced by Catlin's comments and stories (he is a great story-teller).He explains what's happening in the crowd scenes (and it is sometimes hair-raising!), and he gives interesting background on the people shown in the portraits.Looked at in this way, the paintings really come alive.Very highly recommended. ... Read more

Product Description
The Ute tribes whose arts and culture are the focus of this handsome book are mountain people centered in Colorado with territory extending into New Mexico and Utah. The essays collected here are contributed by Ute cultural leaders and by other scholars. They reveal the richness of Ute material culture, heretofore almost unknown, in groundbreaking studies of Ute prehistory, history, world view, culture, and art. The book is illustrated with color photographs of 139 historic artifacts and over 40 contemporary works, as well as numerous historic photographs of Ute life.

Ute Indian Arts & Culture accompanies an exhibition that is the culmination of a seven-year project that included an inventory of approximately 2,000 objects of Ute origin or attribution found in more than twenty museums around the United States. The project goal is to make Ute Indian history and culture better known to the public at large and to take a first step toward identifying Ute art forms, which have not previously been clearly distinguished in the literature or in museum collections. Another goal has been to make available to a younger generation of Utes visual and written information about their heritage. ... Read more

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Product Description
The definitive assessment of contemporary Indian art

Khoj International Artists Workshop was established in 1997. Based on a model of learning by exchange, the initiative has impacted contemporary art practice in a fundamental manner. To celebrate ten years of its existence, Khoj brings together an unusual collection of critical essays by distinguished writers and the work and interviews of 101 artists who have been connected with Khoj over the years.

At a time when state-supported art institutions are on the wane and the commercial gallery network seems to be the only viable forum for artists, this stunningly produced, landmark volume helps assess the scope and impact of alternative forums on contemporary art practice in India and maps its journey over a significant decade. It is a collector s volume for anyone interested in delving deep into the subject. ... Read more

Product Description
Eugene and Clare Thaw's outstanding collection of Native American art includes superb objects from nearly all the important American tribes. This book, the first on the Thaw Collection, presents 100 of its finest works, ranging from Northwest Coast masks to Southwestern pueblo pottery to Plains and Woodland Indian headdresses, peace pipes, and shields. 100 color photos. ... Read more

Product Description
Most beautiful art tradition in primitive world in nearly 300 copyright-free examples based upon lifetime of study. Material ranges from 13th-century geometric art of Pueblo to contemporary design, includes designs from pottery, basketry, beadwork, masks, dolls, sand paintings, and blankets. 50 plates.
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Customer Reviews (1)

Nice simple one to start southwest designs
Nice basic reference book of documented southwest native american designs, primarialy focused on pottery designs. Some blanket and doll designs included as well. All renderings are black/white with reference to documentation. Great for art design projects for basic southwest decor. Designs are referenced to tribe and area and a little history included. Not a very indepth book, but a good basic starter for the southwest artist. ... Read more

Product Description
With an introduction by Jace Weaver, this collection of essays analyzes Native theater, dance, and music performances through indigenous critical lenses. Contributors to this volume include both recent and established scholars who offer provocative studies of the ways in which Native performing artists re-present, to use Kathryn Shanley's term, American Indian history, culture, art forms, spiritual traditions and/or contemporary issues in their works. ... Read more

Product Description
This book contains step-step instructions andillustrations on the basics of drawing, designing, painting andcarving in the Pacific Northwest Coast Native Indian art style.

Fifteen educationally based concepts are arranged from simple tocomplex, with each step building on the previous. Over 300 black andwhite detailed illustrations and 32 photos enhance and clarify thestraightforward instructions. Durable soft cover, 8 1/2" by 11" blackand white, 160 pages. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Northwest Indian Art Construction
A very good description of the animals depicted in Northwestern Indian Art and how to draw them. A good reference for those seeking to use NIA with some authenticity.

Nice idea
This book contains a nice idea, though the designs in the book are not great examples of the art form.Someone wishing to learn how to design with formlines might be better off using an exhibit catalog such as Kwakiutl Art or maybe An Analysis of Form by Bill Holm.There are many subtleties in the art and this book makes a valiant attempt to describe the art form but in the end fails in terms of examples and description.

Classroom in-a-book
This book is definetly geared toward a classroom environment, consisting mostly of worksheets/quizzes on basic design elements. The excercises are also very basic, involving tracing dot-to-dots, filling in missing areas of a design, etc. While this would be great for elementary school/middle school kids, it isn't as useful for independent learners, though there are good tidbits of information here and there. Also note that this book (and the other two books in the series) do not deal with meaning at all - they are purely concerned with the technical aspect of the art.

In terms of the technical aspects of learning Pacific Northwest Coast art I highly recommend Clark & Gilbert's "Learning by Designing, vol. 1" and Bill Holm's "Northwest Coast Indian Art: An Analysis of Form".

Excellent material for artists and art lovers.
As an admirer of native art and a novice carver, I have found new appreciation for this beautiful art form. This book (and it's companion, Learning by Designing) have provided a means for me to advance my skills as well as become more familiar with some of the features making northwest native art geographically unique. It provides ample and readily usable information. After only a short time, I am applying design concepts to my own work. The two books complement each other very well, and I eagerly await the next volume.

I would like to recommend this book to anyone working with native art themes as well as those who appreciate or collect it.

Thank You for the wonderful material!

Excellent book on Northwest Coast art
While visiting the Northwest Coast of British Columbia we wanted to learn more about the art styles and methods of drawing NW Native Indian art.This book, along with Learning by Designing (from Raven Publishing) were our favourites.Because of its step by step methods and sample drawings we were able to easily re-create and paint our own authentic designs. We highly recommend these books. ... Read more

Product Description
With all the zany vibrancy of a Bollywood musical, the colorful matchbox labels of LIGHT OF INDIA present a fascinating confluence of popular culture and a sophisticated graphic arts tradition that stretches back for centuries. Populated with pouncing Bengal tigers, regal jungle elephants, and Hindu gods and goddesses, these miniature masterpieces are worlds unto themselves, skillfully illustrated with a naive yet irresistible charm. This delightful art book is sure to fire the imagination of all who wish to study, preserve, and celebrate India's more humble, but no less brilliant, visual arts heritage. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Fun, Fun, Fun!
Wonderful photos and information on Indian matchbook pictures through the years, including development of the art form.When I looked at the chapter titles in the table of contents, I said "that makes sense" again and again, as each chapter highlights a theme very tightly related to Indian culture, like Hindu gods, mangoes, tigers, elephants etc.

If you don't know Indian culture or history, you'll still enjoy the great and unusual pictures.It shows how much art can be squeezed into something so small, cheap and mundane!

Visually Delightful
This is small but bold little book. The collection of images of matchboxes are colourful, humourous, curious and extremely entertaining. A must have for anyone interested in Indian graphics.

Light of India
Light of India has great pictures of matchbook artwork.I am inspired by the colors

A conflagration of fascination
Warren Dotz's "Light of India: A conflagration of Indian matchbox art" is a fascinating little gift or coffee table book. It starts out exploring the origins of the matchbox industry in India, its practical and cultural place in history. From there it branches into an impressive exploration of the art that adorns Indian matchboxes--starting with those imported from other countries, and progressing through those made in India by Indian artists in later years.

While the images themselves are beautiful and fascinating to look at, every bit as fascinating is the discussion that goes with each section. The images on matchboxes changed with the times, reflecting cultural trends, history, politics, national hopes and fears, and more. What started out for me as a fun look at matchbox art became an engrossing read on Indian cultural heroes, Gandhi's work, religious beliefs and iconography, and even Indian wildlife, foods, and architecture. ... Read more

Product Description
Full text, plus more than 700 precise drawings of basketry, sculpture, painting, pottery, sand paintings, metal, etc. 4 plates in color. Text gives lore and tradition behind the designs plus Indians’ own songs and stories. "A smashingly handsome book!"—Kliatt Paperback Guide.
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Customer Reviews (1)

A history of native art!
I wanted to learn about the western hemisphere art as a whole and not country by country and that's precisely what I found in this book. Well detailed designs and astonishing information such as poems, myths, symbols explanations... unfortunately, some countries -as Ecuador- are not represented and that's a pitty because they have many motifs to show to the world. Anyway, I think this is a must in decorators' or art historian's library! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (4)

Waste of paper
Not only is the content of this book, poorly rendered and amateurish, but the same book is available with a different cover design, so if you're not careful, and buying hastily, you can buy the same waste of paper TWICE!

The images in this book are simply unusable, and I doubt even inspirational. They are poor-quality, sloppy illustrations that sort of "refer to" a wonderful native art form, but do not mistake, they do not do it justice. If you are looking for a source of actual, usable graphics for a project needing some NW native art - for jewelry design, graphic design, architecture, etc - this is NOT that book. Looks like it was drawn by an inexperienced and lazily teenager, not a professional designer or illustrator. The original native artists who created the work that this book is attempting to represent were a thousand times more careful and talented, with steady hands and impeccable eyes to design, composition, line quality, contrast and overall visual effect. None of that comes though in the pages of this graphic disgrace.

Simplistic, Misleading, Not Useful
When this book came out, there were surprisingly few books about Pacific Northwest Coast artwork, and many of the books that had been written were out of print.

I suppose it's possible that the author or publisher honestly felt they saw a niche that needed to be filled, and intended to produce a simple, helpful book. But regardless of their intent, the impression I came away with was that this book was thrown together in order to cash in on the rising interest and, at that time, paucity of reference material related to this artform.

The book is remarkably short, there is a lack of useful information about the artform or its elements, and many of the designs that are included in the book do not even appear to be native to this style of art.

I hate to pan a book, because I'm a part-time writer myself, but facts are facts. Regardless of what you are looking for when it comes to Northwest Coast Art - how to understand it, style variations amongst different northwest tribes, how to draw this type of art, etc. -- this book will not provide it for you. The only reason I can think of for buying this book is because you want a copy of every book ever written on the topic. Otherwise, don't waste your money on this one.

[...]

Okay?
Does not explain what the designs are, if you don't have another book to explain them you will be lost. Drawings do not reflect true designs.

Designs are authenic and easy to follow patterns forprojects
We liked the book as a number of the designs are ones remembered fromchildhood. They are easy for us to follow when making are native crafts. Aswe try to be as authenic as possible. It is one of the best books we havefound for Northwest Coast Indians Designs. Madeleine Orban-Szontagh's Booksare all good books. ... Read more

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Product Description
During the last days of the Potawatomi and Miami tribes in Indiana, before their forced removal west, a British-born artist, George Winter, was able to capture through his paintings, watercolors, and drawings the culture of these Native Americans. This lavishly illustrated volume focuses on the career of Winter, one of the first professional artists to live and work in Indiana. ... Read more

Product Description
The 250 bold, meticulously rendered designs in this collection--taken from such authentic sources as Hopi ceremonial dress, Zuñi shields, Anasazi pottery, and Navajo jewelry--depict creatures of land, sea, and air; abstract motifs; Kachina dolls; masks; and other traditional images. An essential addition to the personal libraries of designers and craftspeople.
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Customer Reviews (3)

southwest designs from indian art
This is a good solid reference for the designs.I would have liked more petroglyphs, but there is a really good selection of pottery designs.

A represntation of Southwest Indian designs
Illustrations would be better if symbols had been used together to show incorporation into designs on art, crafts and clothing.

Indian Designs
The book is great and very helpful. I do segmented woodturning and was interested in designs that fit this style of work. As a descendant of the Choctaw tribe, I was very pleased to find Choctaw designs included.

I was not thrilled to see it called "Indian" as I am not now and never have been a descendant of anyone from India. Native American is more acceptable. ... Read more

Product Description
The extravagantly beautiful book that explores the wonderful folk art of the Cunan Indian women. Vividly colored panels are used to adorn blouses and are made from pieces of multicolored material cut and sewn into narrative and fantasy scenes. 250 illustrations. Over 212 black-and-white photographs, 186 in full color. ... Read more