MTU Library Catalogue

Syndetics cover image
Image from Syndetics

Black art : a cultural history / Richard J. Powell.

By: Powell, Richard J, 1953- [author].
Material type: materialTypeLabelBookSeries: World of art: Publisher: London : Thames and Hudson Ltd, 2021Copyright date: ©2021Edition: Third edition.Description: 359 pages : illustrations (chiefly colour) ; 21 cm.Content type: text | still image Media type: unmediated Carrier type: volumeISBN: 9780500204665 (paperback); 0500204667 (paperback).Subject(s): Art, Black | African American art | Art, Modern -- 20th centuryDDC classification: 704.039
Contents:
Introduction : the dark center -- Art, culture, and "the souls of Black folk" -- Enter and exit the "New Negro" -- The cult of the people -- Pride, assimilation, and dreams -- "Black is a color" -- Culture as currency -- Through a glass, diasporally -- Fin-de-siecle blues -- The price of blackness.
Summary: "The African diaspora - a direct result of the transatlantic slave trade and Western colonialism - has generated a wide array of artistic achievements, from blues and reggae, to the paintings of the pioneering African American artist Henry Ossawa Tanner and video creations of contemporary hip-hop artists. This book concentrates on how these works, often created during times of major social upheaval and transformation, use black culture both as a subject and as context. From musings on "the souls of black folk" in late nineteenth-century art, to questions of racial and cultural identities in performance, media, and computer-assisted arts in the twenty-first century, this book examines the philosophical and social forces that have shaped a black presence in modern and contemporary visual culture. Now updated, this new edition helps us understand better how the first two decades of the twenty-first century have been a transformative moment in which previous assumptions about race, difference, and identity have been irrevocably altered, with art providing a useful lens through which to think about these compelling issues." publisher's description.
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number Status Barcode
General lending MTU Crawford College of Art and Design Library Lending 704.039 (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Available 00231812
Total holds: 0

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The African diaspora--a direct result of the transatlantic slave trade and Western colonialism--has generated a wide array of artistic achievements, from blues and reggae to the paintings of the pioneering American artist Henry Ossawa Tanner and the music videos of Solange. This study concentrates on how these works, often created during times of major social upheaval and transformation, use Black culture both as a subject and as context. From musings on "the souls of black folk" in late-nineteenth-century art to questions of racial and cultural identities in performance, media, and computer-assisted arts in the twenty-first century, this book examines the philosophical and social forces that have shaped Black presence in modern and contemporary visual culture.

Renowned art historian Richard J. Powell presents Black art drawn from across the African diaspora, with examples from the Americas, the Caribbean, and Europe. Black Art features artworks executed in a broad range of media, including film, photography, performance art, conceptual art, advertising, and sculpture.

This updated, third edition helps to better understand how the first two decades of the twenty-first century have been a transformative moment in which previous assumptions about race and identity have been irrevocably altered, with art providing a useful lens through which to think about these compelling issues.

"First published in 1997 ... under the title Black Art and Culture in the 20th Century ... Revised and expanded edition 2002"--Colophon.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 325-340) and index.

Introduction : the dark center -- Art, culture, and "the souls of Black folk" -- Enter and exit the "New Negro" -- The cult of the people -- Pride, assimilation, and dreams -- "Black is a color" -- Culture as currency -- Through a glass, diasporally -- Fin-de-siecle blues -- The price of blackness.

"The African diaspora - a direct result of the transatlantic slave trade and Western colonialism - has generated a wide array of artistic achievements, from blues and reggae, to the paintings of the pioneering African American artist Henry Ossawa Tanner and video creations of contemporary hip-hop artists. This book concentrates on how these works, often created during times of major social upheaval and transformation, use black culture both as a subject and as context. From musings on "the souls of black folk" in late nineteenth-century art, to questions of racial and cultural identities in performance, media, and computer-assisted arts in the twenty-first century, this book examines the philosophical and social forces that have shaped a black presence in modern and contemporary visual culture. Now updated, this new edition helps us understand better how the first two decades of the twenty-first century have been a transformative moment in which previous assumptions about race, difference, and identity have been irrevocably altered, with art providing a useful lens through which to think about these compelling issues." publisher's description.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

  • Introduction The Dark Center (p. 6)
  • Chapter 1 Art, Culture, and "the Souls of Black Folk" (p. 26)
  • Chapter 2 Enter and Exit the "New Negro" (p. 48)
  • Chapter 3 The Cult of the People (p. 73)
  • Chapter 4 Pride, Assimilation, and Dreams (p. 95)
  • Chapter 5 "Black is a Color" (p. 133)
  • Chapter 6 Culture as Currency (p. 179)
  • Chapter 7 Through a Glass, Diasporally (p. 224)
  • Chapter 8 Fin-de-Siècle Blues (p. 255)
  • Chapter 9 The Price of Blackness (p. 278)
  • Biographical Notes (p. 310)
  • Select Bibliography and Sources (p. 325)
  • List of Illustrations (p. 340)
  • Index (p. 349)

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Richard J. Powell is the John Spencer Bassett professor of art & art history at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, where he has taught since 1989. His publications include: The Blues Aesthetic: Black Culture and Modernism , Cutting a Figure: Fashioning Black Portraiture , Going There: Black Visual Satire , and Homecoming: The Art and Life of William H. Johnson.