Primitivism and modern art

A fascination with the primitive lies at the heart of some of the most influential developments in Western art produced between 1890 and 1950 – a time that witnessed both the heroic period of modern art and the decline of Western colonial power. This work is an overview of this period.

Description

A fascination with the ‘primitive’ lies at the heart of some of the most influential developments in Western art between 1890 and 1950 – a time that witnessed both the ‘heroic’ period of modern art and the apogee and decline of the West’s colonial power. Many groups have at times been labelled as ‘primitive’, including the so-called tribal peoples from Africa, Oceania and North America, but also prehistoric cultures, European peasants, the insane and children. Through the lens of their own society, many modern artists looked both to the art and to the world-view of the ‘primitive’ as means of challenging established beliefs, but the ‘primitive’ to which they turned was a varied as the movements in modern art.

Published by Thames and Hudson, Colin Rhodes breaks new ground, drawing on a wide and diverse range of material, from high art to popular entertainment and from Darwin to Freud. The critical overview he presents supersedes all previous studies on the subject.

Additional information

Weight0,4 kg
Dimensions18 × 15,0 × 1,5 cm
Author

Date Published

Nov 94

Language

English

Publisher

Specifications

Softcover,216pp