African Painted Houses: Basotho Dwellings of Southern Africa
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.11 (965 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0810919907 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 168 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2016-09-22 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
The book is based on the author's dissertation and draws on several years' fieldwork in the Free State of South Africa and in Lesotho, for which he received a Rockefeller Award.. The art form is part of the cycle of life. The patterns captured in the photographs have inspired mural designs throughout America, in public projects ranging from Times Square to Arizona. This New York Times award-winning book explores the mural paintings that Basotho women apply to their homes. When the renewing rain comes, it washes away the murals designs, which are replaced or rejuvenated the following year. The mandala-like geometric patterns are prayers in paint, addressed to the ancestors and appealing for rain. Basotho architecture and murals are imbued with fertility symbolism that links women, the earth, and plant forms. It includes more than 100 color photographs by the author, which constituted an acclaimed exhibition presented in New York, Paris
His most recent book is József Jakovits: Surrealist, Primitivist, Kabalist (2014).. in Art History at Columbia University, NY, as a Fulbright Scholar, and received a Rockefeller Award for his research in Africa. He completed his Ph.D. He edited the 56-volume series Heritage Library of African Peoples (Rosen) for young adult readers,
Oddzilla said WOW - great book!!! Wonderful art, beautiful color pics. This is really a wonderful book! I bought it because it looked like it had nice color pictures, and it turned out they're fantastic! I'm an artist and I just LOVE these beautiful painted houses. It also looks like it has a lot of good information in the narrative, but so far all I've done is look at the great color pics. HIGHLY RECOMM. "Women's art as a poltical message" according to Sue. African Painted Houses is filled with not only beautiful photographs of dwellings, but reminds us of a time not to far ago where South Africa was filled with distress, social and political upheavel, and when women were meant to be at home. Women are still told to stay at home, and these African women took it upon themselves to go agai. "a visual feast for the eyes" according to A Customer. This book is full of wonderful photographs of African Painted houses. The verbage is complete in explaining the significance of the illustrations from a historical and present day view. This is a facinating rich culture. The use of patterns and color, and their meaning come together in an easy to understand format. This a book I can p
Van Wyk joined in such protests as an art student by helping paint street murals of state-sanctioned violence. "If the prayers are successful," says photographer and author Gary N. In the years when links to the outlawed African National Congress party were often severely punished, some Basotho women defiantly splashed their homes with the black, green, and gold colors of the ANC. The Basotho women of South Africa and Lesotho pray to their ancestors for rain, abundance, and peace by painting and slicing brilliant geometric murals on the mud plaster walls of their houses. Prayer and protest come in many guises. --Francesca Coltrera. A passion for recording political graffiti led him back to the dwellings decorated in ANC colors, several of which he photographed for this dazzling testament to Basotho lives, ceremonies, history, and art. van Wyk, "the rains arrive and wash away the paintings." Growing up white under apartheid, van Wyk n