Research Catalog

Details

Additional authors

1. Schaafsma, Polly
2. Graziano, Frank (Educator)

Description

1. 231 pages : illustrations (black and white), maps; 29 x 32 cm

Summary

1. "Enigmatic rock art featuring a myriad of symbols and designs can be found throughout remote and arid landscapes of the Greater Southwest, from the Four Corners region of the American West to the Baja California peninsula in Mexico. This vast gallery of ancient art offers intriguing questions. Who created these images on stone and what were their motivations? What do they mean? Are they to be taken literally or might they stand for something else? In this book, William Frej's powerful black and white photographs of rock art in the American Southwest and Baja California provide the opportunity to explore this diverse and mysterious imagery--and to ponder these questions. By framing these images on stone by the expansive landscapes in which they are found, his photographs emphasize the importance of their settings. The accompanying photo captions by noted rock art scholar Polly Schaafsma present clues to the symbolic content of these stone murals. Her essay, "Blurred Boundaries," addresses the ambiguities latent in their complex meanings. To illustrate, Schaafsma addresses several elements of the visual vocabulary of rock art in the region-the spiral, stepped clouds, depictions of the human form, animals, and shields. Schaafsma notes that rock art can be viewed from many perspectives and she suggests that we move beyond Western philosophy to consider an animistic universe in which all things are sacred. In the foreword Frank Graziano also emphasizes how our own beliefs and perceptions influence the way we experience rock art. Rock art is more than a static reminder of the faraway past. The images continue to impact us even today, no matter what our perspective."--Publisher's description.

Subject

1. Petroglyphs > Southwest, New > Pictorial works
2. Rock paintings > Southwest, New > Pictorial works
3. Indians of North America > Southwest, New > Antiquities > Pictorial works
4. Landscape photography > Southwest, New
5. Documentary photography > Southwest, New
6. Documentary photography
7. Rock paintings
8. Petroglyphs
9. Indians of North America > Antiquities
10. Indians of North America
11. Landscape photography
12. New Southwest
13. United States

Genre/Form

1. Pictorial works.

Contents

1. Foreword: the Kuleshov effect / Frank Graziano -- Introduction: rock art in context / William Frej -- Blurred boundaries / Polly Schaafsma -- Images on stone / [photographs by William Frej; captions by Polly Schaafsma] -- Glossary -- [Maps] -- About the authors -- Acknowledgments / William Frej & Polly Schaafsma -- [Colophon]

Call number

1. JFG 24-47

Bibliography (note)

1. Includes bibliographical references (paes 48-50).

Author

1. Frej, William, photographer.

Title

1. Blurred boundaries : perspectives on rock art of the greater Southwest / photography by William Frej ; essay and captions by Polly Schaafsma ; foreword by Frank Graziano.

Imprint

1. Santa Fe : Museum of New Mexico Press, [2023]

Manufacturer

1. Verona, Italy : EBS Editoriale Bortolazzi Stei

Copyright date

1. ©2023

Type of content

1. text
2. still image

Type of medium

1. unmediated

Type of carrier

1. volume

Bibliography

1. Includes bibliographical references (paes 48-50).

Added author

1. Schaafsma, Polly, essayist, writer of captions.
2. Graziano, Frank (Educator), writer of foreword.

LCCN

1. 2023935897

ISBN

1. 9780890136799 (hardcover ; acid free paper)
2. 0890136793 (hardcover ; acid free paper)

Research call number

1. JFG 24-47