Art Majors, Art Education Majors, and the Art Community will appreciate these new books.Art Theory: an Historical Introduction (BOOK): by Robert Williams
"[It] chronologically covers the history of thought about art from antiquity to postmodernism. Art theory, art criticism and art history, as well as philosophy, rhetoric, myth, literature, mathematics, theology, semiotics, the natural sciences, psychology, music, linguistic theory, psychoanalysis, Marxism and feminism (among others), are drawn upon to yield reflections on art. Particular emphasis is laid in this extraordinarily fluid synopsis on the relationship between art and knowledge." The Art Newspaper
Educating in the Arts: the Asian Experience, Twenty-four Essays (BOOK): edited by Lindy Joubert
Arising out of the need to promote not only arts and educational practices but also the research and evaluations being achieved in the field this book explores Asian artists and their practices. Writing about their own practical experiences, the authors explore linkages between creativity and discipline; of social organization and individual expression and how inventiveness and economic productivity are inextricably linked.
The Creative Ice Age Brain: Cave Art in the Light of Neuroscience (BOOK): by Barbara Olins Alpert
Mystery surrounds the magnificent Ice Age art that is found mainly in the caves of Western Europe. In this substantial new study, scholar Barbara Alpert approaches this art using information from psychology and discoveries in neuroscience. Techniques such as computerized tomography (CT) scans and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have demonstrated an enormous amount about the working of the brain. By examining the oldest-known human-made images in the light of this new information, Alpert reveals many of the impulses that underlie their creation. She shows how the art is based on a visual language found worldwide--one that appears to be universal for our species.
The Essential Art of African Textiles: Design Without End (BOOK):
Alisa LaGamma and Christine Giuntini
This informative and beautiful volume sheds light on the enduring significance of textiles as a major form of aesthetic expression across Africa, relating long-standing cultural practices to recent creative developments. Some of the finest and oldest preserved examples of West African textile traditions are presented, and both their artistic and technical qualities are examined. Wrapped around the body, fashioned into garments, or displayed as hangings, these magnificent textiles include bold strip weavings and intricately patterned indigo resist-dyed cloths.
