"Primitivism" in 20th Century Art: Affinity of the Tribal and the Modern

"Primitivism" in 20th Century Art: Affinity of the Tribal and the Modern
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"Primitivism" in 20th Century Art: Affinity of the Tribal and the Modern
Paul Gauguin , Ezio Bassani , Christian Feest , Sidney Geist , Donald Gordon , Jean Laude , Gail Levin , Jean-Louis Paudrat , Philippe Peltier , Laura Rosenstock , Alan Wilkinson , Evan Maurer , Richard Oldenburg , Jack Flam , Rosalind Krauss , Constantin Brancusi , Jacques Lipchitz , Amadeo Modigliani , Henri Moore , Alberto Giacometti , and Kirk Varnedoe
Manufacturer: The Museum of Modern Art, New York
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Primitivism and Twentieth-Century Art: A Documentary History

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Material Journeys: Collecting African And Oceanic Art, 1945-2000

African Art (World of Art)

ASIN: 0870705342
Release Date: 2002-07-02

Book Description

"In 1906 tribal sculpture was ""discovered"" by 20th century artists; these objects had suddenly become relevant because of changes in the nature of modern art itself. These two volumes comprise the first comprehensive scholarly treatment in half a century of the crucial influence of the tribal arts--particularly those of Africa and Oceania--on modern painters and sculptors. In this visually stunning and intellectually provocative work, 19 essays confront complex aesthetic, art-historical, and sociological problems posed by this dramatic chapter in the history of modern art. The main body of the book contains a series of essays on primitivism in the works of Gauguin, the Fauves, Picasso, Brancusi, the German Expressionists, Lipchitz, Modigliani, Klee, Giacometti, Moore, the Surrealists, and the Abstract Expressionists. It concludes with a discussion of primitivist contemporary artists, including those involved in earthworks, shamanism, and ritual-inspired performances."

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Was this really written in the twentieth century???
I feel conflicted about this book
Could have been better
Obsession, Deception & Addiction!
Great modern twist on a tradition Victoria melodrama

Affinity
Sarah Waters
Manufacturer: Riverhead Trade
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Fingersmith
Tipping the Velvet: A Novel
The Night Watch
Fingersmith
Tipping the Velvet

ASIN: 1573228737

Amazon.com

Affinity is a tale of power and possession that Henry James himself might admire. In her first novel, Tipping the Velvet, Sarah Waters explored secrets and longing--capping off this lesbian romp with a utopian-socialist vision. Her intricate follow-up is just as sensual but infinitely darker, its moral more difficult to descry. Its stylistic and psychological rewards, however, are visible at every turn, the author's persuasive imagination matched by her gift for storytelling.

In late September 1874, Margaret Prior makes her way through the pentagons of London's Millbank Prison, a place of fearful symmetry and endless corridors. This plain woman on the verge of 30 has come to comfort those behind bars, several of whom Waters brings to instant, sad life. And our Lady Visitor plans to take her role dead seriously, having recovered from two years of nervous indolence in her family's Chelsea house. One person, however, makes her job a passion. Opening an inspection slit (or "eye" as these devices are known), Margaret hears "a perfect sigh, like a sigh in a story." Peering inward, she's confronted by the most erotic of visions--a woman turned toward the sun, caressing her cheek with a forbidden violet: "As I watched, she put the flower to her lips, and breathed upon it, and the purple of the petals gave a quiver and seemed to glow..."

Selina Dawes may indeed have the face of a Crivelli angel, but this medium is in for fraud and assault, her last session having gone very badly indeed. Suffice it to say that the first full encounter between these two very different women is enthralling. "You think spiritualism a kind of fancy," Selina riddles. "Doesn't it seem to you, now you are here, that anything might be real, since Millbank is?" And soon enough Margaret receives several viable signs of the supernatural: a locket disappears from her room, flowers mysteriously appear, and her dazzling friend knows everything about her. Strangest of all, Selina seems to love her.

As Margaret records her weekly prison forays, her own past comes into focus, notably her plans to travel to Italy with her first love (who is now her sister-in-law). But her current journal, she convinces herself, is to be very different from her last one, which "took as long to burn as human hearts, they say, do take." Meanwhile, Waters offers a narrative two-for-one, placing Margaret's diary cheek by jowl with Selina's chronicle of her pre-Millbank existence. This dispassionate, staccato record initially suggests that we can separate truth from desire. Or can we? What Waters's haunting creation leaves us with is a more painful reality--that knowledge and belief are entirely different things. --Kerry Fried

Book Description

An upper-class woman, recovering from a suicide attempt, visits the women's ward of Millbank prison as part of her rehabilitation. There she meets Selina, an enigmatic spiritualist-and becomes drawn into a twilight world of ghosts and shadows, unruly spirits and unseemly passions, until she is at last driven to concoct a desperate plot to secure Selina's freedom, and her own.

"Unfolds sinuously and ominously...a powerful plot-twister. The book is multidimensional: a naturalistic look at Victorian society; a truly suspenseful tale of terror; and a piece of elegant, thinly veiled erotica." (USA Today)

"Gothic tale, psychological study, puzzle narrative-Sarah Waters' second novel is all of these wrapped into one, served up to superbly suspenseful and hypnotic effect." (The Seattle Times)

Customer Reviews:

Was this really written in the twentieth century???.......2007-07-10

Having enjoyed Waters' TIPPING THE VELVET, I brought AFFINITY along on vacation (mostly, I'll admit, because it was one of the few paperbacks I had handy and wanted to travel light!). What a wonderful read! Set in the late 19th Century, this book captured me from the start with page-turning prose not often found in current writers. Waters' prose reads like Daphne Du Maurier's - musically poetic yet abundantly understandable. This is the (fictional) story of Margaret Prior - a woman of means in 19th C. England who, because she's at odds with Victorian society, becomes involved with an emprisoned psychic spiritualist. I won't spoil the plot, but suffice it to say there are many twists and turns!

This book evolved in a way that left me feeling I was hands of an adept writer. I was, quite simply, engrossed.

I feel conflicted about this book.......2007-04-12

I read this book after reading Fingersmith and Tipping the Velvet, and perhaps that is why I was disappointed with Affinity. Fingersmith being genius and TTV being extremely entertaining, Affinity was a letdown for me.

The book was slow and the build-up was tedious...

Although I was wowed with the conclusion, I felt more frustrated with it than satisfied.

Could have been better.......2007-03-31

Selina Dawes, a spiritualist and medium has landed herself in prison after an incident involving physical assault and a death, the circumstances of which can only be described as peculiar. Her path will cross with that of Margaret Prior, a respectable lady, trapped in a life of insignificance, scarred by the death of her father and vulnerable to exploitation.

Written in the form of a diary, the book leaps from past to present and back, slowly untangling mysteries of the supernatural and enigmas of the heart. The atmosphere of the Victorian age is made tangible by Waters' very eloquent narrative and as always with her, there is a strong undercurrent of sexual tensions. She weaves intricate relationships between diverse female characters, ranging from hypersensitive, gullible and naive, to mean, cunning and exploitative. And that's all well and good, but it doesn't make up for the fact that the book seems to drag on forever and, at least up to a point, seems to be going nowhere in particular. And that's very annoying if two thirds into it you're still trying to make any sense at all.

Having said that, round about page 230 (in a total of 350) it started to pick up pace, although whether that was because the book had genuinely become more interesting or whether it was because of my -by then- urgent need to get it over and done with, I really can't say.

Fantasy mixes with reality in a tale that, in my opinion, could have been so much better if only the plot were tighter and the narrative more concise and pithy. I may be sounding a bit harsh, but then again I can't help but compare this book to "Fingersmith" which was simply marvelous, and a "yardstick" against which all of Waters' other works are measured and keep falling short.

Obsession, Deception & Addiction!.......2007-03-31

I'm struck by a few similar elements in Affinity and The Turn of the Screw. Sexual repression as it contributed to the female characters' malaise is the clearest.

Given Sarah Waters's great scholarship, the choice of Peter Quick's name was surely not coincidental but meant as a nod to Henry James's Peter Quint. Once tipped off, it's a short step to begin doubting the credibility, if not the sanity of the main female character. Why as yet haven't any reviewers commented here on the steady and generous intake of opium (laudanum) and chloral hydrate (a hypnotic) that Miss Prior was accustomed to consuming? While she was most certainly blinded with love for Selina Dawes, her huge drug habit surely further distorted her perceptions and judgment about that lady.

Though it could have been shorter and tighter, you can read this story on political, social and psychological levels. What is not ambiguous, however, is the ending. The scam is very real.

Common threads running through Sarah Waters's first 3 books (haven't read the most recent yet) are betrayal and the abuse of power, woven into very different and clever entertainments.

Great modern twist on a tradition Victoria melodrama.......2007-02-26

As an English major, my favorite literature was often novels like "Middlemarch" or anything by Jane Austen. Sarah Walters creates a wonderfully traditional Victorian melodrama/thriller with a more candid modern description of the sexual undercurrents of her characters. I greatly enjoyed this novel and the complicated psychology that motivates her characters.

Affinity Chromatography: Methods and Protocols (Methods in Molecular Biology)

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Affinity Chromatography: Methods and Protocols (Methods in Molecular Biology)

Manufacturer: Humana Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0896036944

Book Description

Hoffmann-La Roche Inc., Nutley, NJ. Describes methods in detail, ranging from traditional affinity purification methods as immunoaffinity chromatography, to the use phage-display technology in the discovery of affinity ligands and drugs. For researchers.

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Gaussian Self-Affinity and Fractals
Benoit Mandelbrot
Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Fractals and Scaling In Finance

ASIN: 0387989935

Book Description

Benoit Mandelbrot¿s pioneering research in fractal geometry has affected many areas of mathematics, physics, finance and other disciplines. The papers reprinted in this third volume of his Selected Works center on a detailed study of fractional Brownian functions, best known as the mathematical tools behind the celebrated fractal landscapes. Extensive introductory material preceding the reprints incorporates striking new observations and conjectures. This book explores the fractal themes of ¿self-affinity¿ and ¿globality.¿ The ubiquity of ¿wild¿ temporal and spatial variability led Mandelbrot, in the early 1960¿s, to conclude that those phenomena lie beyond the usual statistical techniques and represent a new state of indeterminism. New mathematical tools are needed, and this book contributes to their development.

Redemption and Utopia: Jewish Libertarian Thought in Central Europe: A Study in Elective Affinity

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Redemption and Utopia: Jewish Libertarian Thought in Central Europe: A Study in Elective Affinity
Michael Lowy
Manufacturer: Stanford University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0804717761

Methods for Affinity Based Separations for Enzymes and Proteins

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Methods for Affinity Based Separations for Enzymes and Proteins

Manufacturer: Birkhäuser Basel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 3764363053

Book Description

One major concern of biotechnology is either using enzymes or producing them. Enzyme/protein production is therefore an important starting point for biotechnology. Bioseparation or Downstream Processing constitutes about 40-90% of the total production cost. Driven by economics, highly selective technologies applicable to large-scale processing have emerged during the last decade. These technologies are slowly diffusing to enzymologists who are working on a smaller scale, looking for fast and efficient purification protocols. The affinity-based techniques (including precipitation, two-phase extractions, expanded bed chromatography, perfusion chromatography and monoliths) described in this volume provide current and new cutting-edge methods. Consequently, the book is of main interest to researchers in biochemistry, biochemical engineering and biotechnology, working either in academic or industrial sectors.

Mathematics and the Aesthetic: New Approaches to an Ancient Affinity (CMS Books in Mathematics)

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Mathematics and the Aesthetic: New Approaches to an Ancient Affinity (CMS Books in Mathematics)

Manufacturer: Springer
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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The IMO Compendium: A Collection of Problems Suggested for The International Mathematical Olympiads: 1959-2004 (Problem Books in Mathematics)
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Trigonometry

ASIN: 0387305262

Book Description

The essays in this book explore the ancient affinity between the mathematical and the aesthetic, focusing on the fundamental connections between these two modes of reasoning and communicating. From historical, philosophical and psychological perspectives, with particular attention to certain mathematical areas such as geometry and analysis, the authors examine the ways in which the aesthetic is ever present in mathematical thinking and contributes to the growth and value of mathematical knowledge.

Handbook of Affinity Chromatography, Second Edition (Chromatographic Science)

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Handbook of Affinity Chromatography, Second Edition (Chromatographic Science)

Manufacturer: CRC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0824740572

Book Description

This essential handbook guides investigators in the theory, applications, and practical use of affinity chromatography in a variety of fields including biotechnology, biochemistry, molecular biology, analytical chemistry, proteomics, pharmaceutical science, environmental analysis, and clinical chemistry. The Handbook of Affinity Chromatography reflects upon important factors to consider in the development of affinity methods, such as the choice of support material, immobilization methods, and application or elution conditions. It reviews common affinity methods and explores the latest preparative, analytical, and biophysical applications, including the use of affinity chromatography with other separation techniques and analytical systems. This basis seamlessly supports the discussion of recent developments in techniques including the use of affinity ligands in capillary electrophoresis, mass spectrometry, microanalytical systems, and optical biosensors. New chapters feature expanded discussions on molecularly imprinted polymers and biomimetic ligands, chromatographic immunoassays, affinity-based immunoassays, affinity-based chiral stationary phases, and affinity ligands in multidimensional systems. Engaging the collaboration of 48 scientists and students from 23 laboratories and organizations to present the latest information on affinity methods, the Handbook of Affinity Chromatography illustrates a wide range of applications and theory for scientists, students, and laboratory workers throughout the fields of chemistry and biology.

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"We are shaped and fashioned by what we love"
The Elective Affinities
Who will you love?
Love is Not a Controlled Experiment
a gem from the "big daddy" of German Romanticism

Elective Affinities (Penguin Classics)
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Maxims and Reflections (Penguin Classics)
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Conversations of Goethe

ASIN: 0140442421

Product Description

used

Customer Reviews:

"We are shaped and fashioned by what we love".......2005-11-01

This is a story of forbidden love and passion. The 'elective affinities' are the connections made between the two pairs of lovers, whose real affinity cancels and overcomes their formal marital connection. The hidden power, the temptation and passion of love are presented here. And this when one central question is whether in the face of love, there can be free will or whether passion overpowers all.
This situation is presented and managed with great skill and insight. However as I feel it anyway the characters do not somehow forge their way in our hearts and minds the way let us say the great characters of Tolstoy and Dostoevsky do. Surprisingly they and their passion seem to me to be on the surface.
And characters one cannot sympathize with , I find anyway, are lesser characters.
Goethe is one of the great all- round geniuses but his novels are in my judgment , not of the very first rank.

The Elective Affinities.......2003-11-28

This is a fine novel, and Goethe is perhaps the giant in German literature. The title refers to the central metaphor of the novel, the way in which chemical compounds separate and unite themselves with each other in seemingly arbitrary but entirely predictable ways, just as the characters in this novel are. The novel subtley broaches questions about free will, and human nature. Well worth the read.

Who will you love?.......2001-01-27

This is a curious and interesting mix between novel and essay, written when Goethe was sixty (he lived much longer). Edward and Charlotte, aristocrat widowers, get married. They live in a beautiful castle surrounded by huge properties. Life there is easy and fun, since their main occupation is to remodel their estate and throw parties and entertainments. Then the Captain, a friend of Edward's who is down on his luck but also a smart guy, is invited by Edward to come and live with them while he is back on track. Charlotte thinks it is a good opportunity to have come with them her niece, Otilia, a pretty, shy and nice girl. Both guests turn out to be useful and likable, and the four of them get along well. That is, until the elective affinities are set to work. Charlotte and the Captain, as well as Otilia and Edward, have affinities of personality, tastes and approach to life, and that draws them together: they fall in love. As the situation becomes untenable, the Captain finds a job and leaves. Edward retires to antoher house he owns. Then Charlotte gives birth to a child she conceived with Edward and, when he knows it, leaves for war. It turns out that the child resembles the Captain and Otilia, because Edward was thinking of Otilia and Charlotte was thinking of the Captain at the moment of conception (ha!). After some time, the Captain and Edward talk, and decide to speak to Charlotte, proposing divorce. I won't spoil the ending.

With this novel, Goethe tries to demonstrate that love is not a matter of conscious decision-making; that we can not control at all who we fall in love with, and that it is absurd to try to fight against it (note: it is not a defense of promiscuity, but an argumentation about an undeniable truth). This, then, is a novel with a strong point to make, and successfully so. Goethe is a good writer, a great one indeed, and this novel is important, especially when you put it in the context of the Romantic movement of the time. The story is interesting, the more so because it is carefully designed to prove Goethe's point of view.

Love is Not a Controlled Experiment.......2001-01-16

First published in 1809, Goethe's novel "Elective Affinities" is a disturbingly dark work about rational people driven to distraction by passion and love. The novel seems to be as much influenced by 'The Tale of Foolish Curiosity' found in "Don Quixote" (chapters 33-35) as by Goethe's own marital difficulties. In the novel, Goethe explores the nature of love, and questions whether we have any choice over who we love - or over anything at all.

"Elective Affinities" is the story of two married aristocrats, Eduard and Charlotte, who spend their time and money in general indolence, tinkering with the land on their estate. A friend of Eduard's, the Captain, has fallen into economic instability, and Eduard suggests that they invite the Captain into their home until he can reestablish himself. Charlotte initially objects, but sees it as an opportunity to withdraw Ottilie, her niece, from an unproductive school experience. Under the auspices of doing good turns for their friends, Eduard and Charlotte unwittingly throw the listless harmony of their lives into chaos.

When the passionate Eduard meets the youthful, energetic Ottilie, and the stoical Charlotte meets the likewise prudent Captain - the scientific principle of Elective Affinities that gives the novel its name begins to take effect. The results of introducing two new elements into a closed system makes up the action of the remainder of the novel. Among other things, the novel examines and subtly criticizes the state of class relations in Germany in the early nineteenth century, the limitations of children's education, and matters of faith.

Goethe's "Elective Affinities" is a quick read - Hollingdale's translation is user-friendly, becoming ornate only when faith to the original seems to demand it. Though not as famous as Goethe's "Sorrows of Young Werther," "Elective Affinities" is certainly worth a read.

a gem from the "big daddy" of German Romanticism.......2000-05-05

If I were to teach a comparative literature class, this work would definitely be on the agenda. It is one of the true classics of Romantic art. We tend to forget that in his own era, Goethe was regarded as the preeminent genius of European letters. There is ample reason for the adulation. Whether writing a travelogue (The Italian Journey), a play (Faust), or a novel (Wether, Elective Affinities, Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship), Goethe is the consummate artist. Personally, my only complaint about Goethe was that he didn't think much of Beethoven's music. Maybe we can attribute it to genius jealousy. However you feel about the man, you can not call yourself well-read if you haven't at least exposed yourself to Goethe's writing. Give this one a chance and you'll probably want to read more by this great (and I don't use that term loosely) writer.

Affinity for Trouble- A Puerto Rican Story

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I went back to Puerto Rico in Valera's Affinity for Trouble...
My journey with Hector.
Wonderful Latino Story
An adolescent's journey in 1940-50's Puerto Rico
A wonderful book!

Affinity for Trouble- A Puerto Rican Story
Hector, Varela
Manufacturer: Florida-Boricua Publishing LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Science Fiction | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Subjects | Books
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El Cantante
Stories from Puerto Rico

ASIN: 0978953800

Book Description

An exciting romp through the poverty neighborhoods of Santurce, Puerto Rico.The precocious voice of a boy urchin introduces you to a spiritual struggle as he fends for survival. His complicated family includes the very best and worst characters imaginable. His violent and loving father, papi Guelo, ; his introverted egotistical mother, mami Letty; his macho amoral gang-chief uncle, Freddy; and his despot criolla grandmother, mami Provi. This story captures accurately the essence of an era through his eyes as he overcomes formidable odds in the 1940's and 1950's. From the ghetto to suburbia he resists all evil with the help of his magical dark and gifted step-sister, Paula, whose deep religious faith encompasses Christianity and the seven African Powers. Paula and Hector will keep you engrossed through culinary and musical descriptions and mesmerize you with their magical rituals, culture and beliefs.

Customer Reviews:

I went back to Puerto Rico in Valera's Affinity for Trouble..........2007-09-14

This book is absolutely fabulous! Valera makes you feel as if you're living the character. You can smell the aroma of the food and remember the tastes; hear the melodic sounds of the "musica romantica"; and, feel as if you were part of this beautiful family with all its ups and downs. It's a must read for those of us who want to remember our past and culture and for those who want to learn more about the Puerto Rican people and their culture. Loved it and can't wait for the sequel...thank you Mr. Valera.

My journey with Hector........2007-02-06

Hector's description of the surroundings, food and characters are so to the point that it takes you back to that time. His language is easy to comprehend and, thus, immerses you in the story, taking you through the life of this boy and his family, as if you were right there. Please continue the story going with a sequel. Thanks for a great book.

Wonderful Latino Story.......2007-02-01

You will become immediately engaged in the adventures of this curious boy!Every description of music, food and Puerto Rico are so vivid, you will feel a part of this historical and pivotal era as America enters into this already culturally blended land.

An adolescent's journey in 1940-50's Puerto Rico.......2007-01-16

What a great story. This is the kind of book that you should read slowly, as you don't want this journey with Hector and Paula to end. I will never forget these characters. I laughed and cried often simultaneously, through this book. My thanks to Mr. Varela for sharing, so eloquently, his childhood journey...I can't wait for the sequel.

A wonderful book!.......2007-01-04

It's got it all, sights, sounds and aromas. One is caught up with the difficult times of a fascinating family. He's got to write a follow-up. I'm sitting on the edge of my seat.

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