Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

Discusses Latin American art of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, detailing the indigenous, colonial, post-colonial, and political influences.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

While this series of essays on Latin American art was prepared for an exhibition at London's South Bank Centre, it reads more like an introductory survey than an exhibition catalog. In broad thematic chapters, it sketches historical factors contributing to a regional artistic identity--the heritage of the native peoples, the continued dominance of Europe and the United States, and the resurgence of popular traditions; it also explores in more detail developments in Mexico. The text abounds in fine color and black-and-white illustrations and includes brief artist biographies and translations of 20th-century avant-garde manifestos. Unfortunately, the absence of an index or an exhibition checklist will frustrate more serious readers. Recommended nevertheless.-- Annette Melville, Research Lib. Group, Stanford, Cal. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

This monumental work is an outstanding contribution to the appreciation and better understanding of Latin American art. It supersedes S.L. Catlin and T. Grieder's Art of Latin America Since Independence (1966) by providing a far more comprehensive study of what may be called a Latin American aesthetic and the questions of national and cultural identity associated with it. The authoritative text offers an intelligent thematical approach and also serves as a critical catalog to the major international exhibition (London, 1989). Each chapter corresponds to a separate topical section in the exhibition, including the art of early European travelers, the visual representation of the heroes of the Independence movements, the great 19th- and 20th-century landscape painters, the popular graphic tradition, the famous Mexican muralists and their followers, the Surrealist movement, the optical and kinetic art of the 1950s and 1960s, and contemporary trends. Even though the discussion deals preeminently with painting, important developments in sculpture and mixed media are also included. High-quality color and black-and-white illustrations, fully integrated with the text, greatly enhance the presentation. Key manifestos concerning Latin American art are grouped in an appendix and conveniently numbered according to the appropriate chapters. The book concludes with biographical sketches of the individual artists and a useful select bibliography. As a wide-ranging publication and the first of its scope in English, is should remain an indispensable source on Latin American art for generations to come. Highly recommended for all levels. -H. Rodriguez-Camilloni, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University