TY  - BOOK
AU  - Hatcher,Evelyn Payne
TI  - Art as culture: an introduction to the anthropology of art 
SN  - 0897896289
AV  - N72.A56 H38 1999
U1  - 701.03 23
PY  - 1999///
CY  - Westport, Conn.
PB  - Bergin & Garvey
KW  - Art and anthropology
KW  - Art and society
N1  - Includes bibliographical references (pages 303-330) and index; 1; Contexts and Comparisons: The Anthropological Approach; 1 --; 2; Where? The Geographical Dimension; 21 --; 3; How? The Technological Means; 55 --; 4; Who? The Psychological Perspective; 85 --; 5; Why? Social Contexts and Social Functions; 113 --; 6; "What ...?" Art as Communication; 135 --; 7; When and Whence? The Time Dimension; 167 --; 8; The Esthetic Mystery; 197 --; 9; The Global Context: The 15th Century; 209 --; 10; Globalization: The 20th Century; 229
N2  - The concept of art as being purely for aesthetic contemplation, one that is typical of industrial civilization, is not a very useful one for cross-cultural studies. The majority of the art forms that we see in museums and art books that have come from Native America, Africa, or Oceania are objects that were once part of a larger artistic whole from which they have been extracted. We need to try to piece together and imagine the artistic context as well as the cultural one if we are to attain a deeper sense of the import than a particular piece alone provides. Even then, it is almost impossible to define the artistic whole. Perhaps we would do better to regard these pieces as fragments from the lifestyle of a people. This book applies anthropological theory and information to the study of art, bringing a sharper perspective to the discipline
ER  -