Looking at Indian Art of the Northwest Coast

by Hilary Stewart

Book Overview

Bold, inventive and highly graphic, the indigenous art of the Northwest Coast is distinguished by its sophistication and complexity. It is also composed of basically simple elements, which, guided by a rich mythology, create images of striking power. This indispensable and beautifully illustrated book is the first to introduce everyone, from the casual observer to the serious collector of Northwest Coast prints, to the forms, cultural background and...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 088894229X
• ISBN13: 9780888942296
• Release Date: November 1992
• Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre
• Length: 111 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Encyclopedia of Haida

This is a great book if you are looking for explanations of the history of the Haida artwork and drawings. It also includes many examples of the artwork and is easy to read and understand for all ages.

What I needed

Great pictures, explainations, and examples, Put in wonderful catagories and easy to understand!! Fully recommend!! I wish there was more of it as it is so well thought out!!

Great details and good reading...

Through well-detailed photographs and drawings, this book provides a nice introduction to Northwest tribal art. It uses examples of two- and three-dimensional works of art to explain the meanings and symbolism behind the animal motifs. You will quickly learn to recognize the ovoid, and S and U shapes that are characteristic to the art form. It also explains stylistic differences between the different cultural groups. I used this book on a trip through the Northwest and it really enriched my experience.

One of the two best books available on the topic

I wanted to dabble in this form of artwork, so starting in the mid-1980's I bought EVERY book I could find on the topic (I currently have in excess of 160, including some going back to the late 1700's). This book was one of the first I bought and it remains one of my favorites. This book is absolutely outstanding, especially for someone new to the artform. It overviews the native cultures and tribes, provides info about style difference among tribes, covers the components of the art style, and gives lots of great visual examples, including some good basic info about the symbolism of the elements. It is very successful in giving enough detail to be useful without giving so much that it gets complicated or boring. Regardless of your interest in this artform, whether you just want one book to learn a little or a "first book" to help you get deeply into it, in my opinion this remains the best one to buy. If you want to do this sort of artwork, buy this book to get a good basic understanding, then buy "Nothwest Coast Indian Art: an Analysis of Form" by Bill Holm for a deeper understanding of the elements, and "Learning by Designing" Volumes 1 and 2 by Gilbert and Clark for more help with how to actually do it.

An analysis of the structure of Northwest Tribal art.

On vacation in the Olympic Peninsula, I purchased a copy of this book (sorry Mr. Bezos!) because interpreting Haida, Tlingit, and other artists' work has been such a challenge. This book provides amazing descriptions of how to decipher the parts of the artwork to figure out which animal it is, and what the image depicts. The closest comparison is the Renaissance art appreciation class I took in college... and this was much more accessible, and cheaper besides. My mom is craving a copy of this book!