Inventing Masks
Agency and History in the Art of the Central Pende
Z. S. Strother(Author)
University of Chicago Press
Published on 28. March 1998
Book
Hardback
376 pages
978-0-226-77732-0 (ISBN)
Description
The author of this study, Z.S. Strother, spent nearly three years in Zaire studying Pende sculpture. Her research reveals the rich history and lively contemporary practice of Central Pende masquerade. She describes the intensive collaboration among sculptors and dancers that is crucial to inventing masks. Sculptors revealed that a central theme in their work is the representation of perceived differences between men and women. Far from being unchanging, Pende masquerades promote unceasing innovation within genres and invention of new genres. This book sets out to demonstrate, through first-hand accounts and many illustrations, how Central Pende masquerading is a contemporary art form fully responsive to 20th-century experience.
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Chicago
United States
Publishing group
The University of Chicago Press
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 26 mm
Width: 18 mm
Thickness: 3 mm
Weight
1134 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-226-77732-0 (9780226777320)
Copyright in bibliographic data is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or its licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Content
List of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgments Note on Orthography Pt. 1: The Process of Invention 1: "Dancing the Masks": Introduction to the World of Pende Masquerading 2: Who Invents Masks Anyway? 3: Costuming for Change 4: Birth of an Atelier, Birth of a Style 5: Pende Theories of Physiognomy and Gender 6: Learning to Read Faces, Learning to Read Masks Coda Pt. 2: The History of Invention 7: A Precolonial Pende Art History? 8: Masks in the Colonial Period Conclusion: The Role of the Audience in Invention and Reinvention Appendix: Further Notes on Certain Mask Genres Notes Bibliography Index