How to Read Oceanic Art

Kjellgren, Eric

2014

176 pages

185 illustrations

This title is in print.

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About the authors

Praise

From the dense rain forests of New Guinea to the spice-rich islands of Indonesia, the tropical archipelagos of Polynesia and Micronesia, and the deserts of Australia, Oceania encompasses hundreds of distinct artistic traditions with an extensive variety of objects and mediums. Formidable, fascinating and even fearsome, they range in size from intricate jewelry to colossal sculptures and musical instruments.

In addition to serving numerous practical and decorative purposes, many Oceanic objects were invested with religious or social symbolic significance and often have been used in enthralling ceremonies. The imagery of these remarkable works—ranging from ancestors, gods, and spirits to animals and inter-species composites—has had a direct impact on modern artists, including Paul Gauguin and the Surrealists.

An invaluable resource for art-historical study, this third volume in the How to Read series is an important gateway to wider appreciation of Oceanic heritage and visual culture.

Met Art in Publication

Bird Figure, Stone, Mount Hagen region — Bird Figure
ca. 1500 BCE– ?1600 CE

Ancestor Figure, Wood, paint, fiber, ferrous metal, Sawos people — Ancestor Figure
19th century or earlier

Finial (Yaba) for a Ceremonial House, Wood, paint, Kwoma — Finial (Yaba) for a Ceremonial House
early to mid-20th century

Painting from a Ceremonial House Ceiling, Numei, Amachi Kalaba, Sago palm spathe, paint, Kwoma, Amachi-Kalaba clan — Painting from a Ceremonial House Ceiling
Numei, Amachi Kalaba
1970

Painting from a Ceremonial House Ceiling, Masau, Abgwala Kalaba, Sago palm spathe, paint, Kwoma, Abgwala Kalaba clan — Painting from a Ceremonial House Ceiling
Masau, Abgwala Kalaba
1973

Painting from a Ceremonial House Ceiling, Manggabako, Kuimbi Wanyi, Sago palm spathe, paint, Kwoma, Kuimbi Wanyi clan — Painting from a Ceremonial House Ceiling
Manggabako, Kuimbi Wanyi
1973

Ceremonial Board (Malu), Wood, Sawos people — Ceremonial Board (Malu)
19th century

Male Figure, Wood, Inyai-Ewa people — Male Figure
16th–19th century

Figure (Gra or Garra), Wood, paint, Bahinemo people — Figure (Gra or Garra)
late 19th–early 20th century

Hair Ornament (Manyan), Wood, paint, shell, fiber, Biwat people — Hair Ornament (Manyan)
late 19th–early 20th century

Figure (Yipwon), Wood, paint, Alamblak or Yimam people — Figure (Yipwon)
19th century

Hunting Charm, Wood, paint, Yimam people (?) — Hunting Charm
late 19th–early 20th century

House-post Figure, Wood, paint, fiber, Kambot people — House-post Figure
19th century

Horn, Wood, Wogumas — Horn
late 19th–early 20th century

Canoe Prow, Wood, cowrie shells, Iatmul people — Canoe Prow
19th–early 20th century

Figure (Nggwalndu), Wood, paint, Abelam people — Figure (Nggwalndu)
19th–early 20th century

Dagger, Cassowary bone, pigment, Kwanga people — Dagger
late 19th–early 20th century

Lintel from a Ceremonial House, Wood, paint, Abelam people — Lintel from a Ceremonial House
early to mid-20th century

Showing 20 of 118

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Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, N.Y.), and Eric Kjellgren, eds. 2014. How to Read Oceanic Art. Third Volume in the How to Read Series. New York : New Haven: Metropolitan Museum of Art ; Distributed by Yale University Press.

How to Read Oceanic Art

Met Art in Publication

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How to Read Oceanic Art—Interview with Author Eric Kjellgren

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