Review by Choice Review
Focusing on the history and development of art forms in the Central Andes over time, visual anthropologist Strong presents her material through the double lenses of ethnohistory and visual anthropology, specifically informed by her ongoing ethnography in the Huamanga (aka Ayacucho) area of Peru. Investigating through time the symbolic meaning of recurrent motifs in specific genres of Peruvian indigenous art, she notes the deep connections between religious themes (pre- and post-Columbian) and the Andean conception of the natural world. Part 1 outlines the changes in the art over the last 500+ years. Part 2 examines historically eight contemporary art forms, exemplifying the first part. Strong characterizes the symbolism in most Andean art as intentionally using a "visual(ly) ambiguous code," elastic enough to communicate multi-vocally both the indigenous values and the "adjustments" necessitated by colonial hegemony, displaying the persistence of the native culture. Though admirably rich in material and wide in scope, Strong's book somewhat glorifies the indigenous, overemphasizing their conscious resistance while at the same time omitting an obvious comparison with the important and academically well-known artistic history of the neighboring people of Otavalo. Finally, the book is excellent though uneven. Summing Up: Recommended. Professionals/practitioners, upper-division undergraduates and graduate students. P. Passariello Centre College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
